When the Stars Shine Brightest
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Sequel to Shine Until Tomorrow. Sephiroth returns to the tumultuous and wartorn Wutai, but this time he is alone following a tragedy. As his hatred builds, he finds that he must quell the war in his heart before he can eradicate the evil in Wutai.
1. The Darkest Night

**Final Fantasy VII**

**When the Stars Shine Brightest**

**By LuckyLadybug**

**Notes: The characters from the games are not mine. All other characters, and the story, are! This is the direct follow-up to **_**Shine Until Tomorrow**_**, which I have been wanting to start for some time. At last the plunnies are cooperating. Those who have not read the first **_**Shine**_** may very well be confused. Thanks to Kaze and Lisa for plot help!  
**

* * *

** Chapter One**

**The Darkest Night**

_**Wutai's Reign of Terror Continues! Local Hotel in Ruins Due to Welcoming SOLDIERs!**_

Brown eyes narrowed at the newspaper headlines. For the last months, it had all been the same---the rebels would randomly attack whenever and wherever they pleased, leaving carnage in their wake. And since no one knew when the attack would come next, everyone lived in fear. Now, according to today's paper, a nearby hotel had gone up in flames. Several had been trapped inside, including the manager and at least two SOLDIERs. They had survived, but were in serious condition.

She glowered, tossing the paper aside. Maybe today things would start to change for the better. The SOLDIER General was being called back to Wutai after new leads had been discovered. He was going to be staying at the palace, too. Her father had requested it. And he wanted the chance to speak with the General in private.

Of course, that did not mean Yuffie would not be listening.

In some ways, she felt bitter that SOLDIERs were still in Wutai. The trouble had all started because of them and Shinra. And now Wutai could not even solve its own problems! They needed more SOLDIERs to come try to find a solution. And the more SOLDIERs there were, the more the rebels became infuriated. The vicious cycle would never stop.

It did not help in the least that Emperor Kisaragi was very willing to assist SOLDIER in their quest. And ever since he had made his public address about the country's intolerance, the hatred towards him and his daughter had been mounting. Adviser Takamisaki, who had been cleared of all murder charges, had decided to resign his position. Yuffie thought that he was just scared. And if so, then he really did not deserve to be part of the cabinet any more anyway.

But even though Yuffie did not like the SOLDIERs, generally speaking, she had come to tolerate the General. He had stayed at the palace before, when he had been recovering from wounds sustained in a deliberate fire. Her father held him in the highest regard, calling him a man of honor. And since it was a title he bestowed on very few, Yuffie had paid close attention. After seeing how the General had handled the problem of the traitor in the palace, she had conceded that Emperor Kisaragi was right in respecting him.

He was still weird, though. He had knee-length hair, for Heaven's sake! And he was really proud of it. That had been obvious, when she had seen him brushing it out with such care. How did he even stand it? She had long ago refused to have long hair, finding it so confining---not to mention in the way, and that would just not do for a ninja. And here was a_man_ who liked it, a warrior at that!

And his friend. . . . She had never seen someone as cheerful as that guy. But he could be serious, too, when the need called for it. Maybe that was why the General had put up with him. They were polar opposites. Her father had said that they were not only comrades, but best friends. Maybe he was right. It was hard to imagine someone so aloof having any friends, but it was true that he had treated the other SOLDIER different than everyone else. Sure, the guy was congenial enough to most people, but he only opened up to the spiky-haired one.

A glance at the clock sent her hurrying to the door. He should be here by now. Maybe he was out in the main hall. She would go look. She knew how to be noiseless, when the situation called for it.

The voices at the front of the palace could be heard, albeit indistinct, once she began her journey down the long corridor. One she recognized as her father's. The other was deeper and younger, without any trace of a Wutaian accent. She picked up speed, continuing her soundless flight until she was coming to a stop just outside the doorway. Eight-year-old hands traveled to the heavy door, pushing it open.

Emperor Kisaragi was speaking now, his voice grave.

"General," he said, straightening from a bow, "it is good to see you so well-recovered. But I regret the circumstances of this meeting."

"As do I. But it can't be helped."

Yuffie frowned. There was an edge to the General's voice, a cold tone that she had not previously heard. Her gaze focused on his tall form, facing away from her. He was not in a wheelchair now. He was standing, and seemed to have no lingering effects from the horror that had nearly taken his life several months ago. In his left hand he held that long sword of his, pointed harmlessly behind him with the tip almost touching the floor.

The emperor continued to watch him as well. "I am truly sorry for your loss."

Now the brown eyes widened. "Loss?!" she cried, unable to help herself. Both men turned, staring as she ran further into the room.

"Yuffie!" her father scolded, his stern face filled with disapproval.

"What?" She placed her hands on her hips as she came to stand near the General. "I wanna know what happened!" She looked to the silver-haired man, whose momentary expression of shock was being replaced by annoyance.

"It isn't your concern." Now the frozen tone had increased, and there was a hint of warning. General Sephiroth did not want to discuss this matter. Especially not with a child, and one notorious for her curiosity, at that.

But Yuffie was not willing to take the hint. "Why are you alone this time?" she demanded.

"Commander Fair couldn't make it." Sephiroth was not facing her now. His arms were crossed, and he was looking at the emperor as if to ask why he did not see that his daughter was left out of their conference.

Which he did. "Yuffie," Emperor Kisaragi commanded, "I must ask you to leave now. The General and I have much to discuss about the future of Wutai." His voice did not allow for protests. There was not time to deal with this. Every hour the threat seemed to grow worse. The fact that the General of SOLDIER's armies had returned only attested to that fact.

Yuffie stamped her foot on the floor in frustration. "No one ever tells me anything!" she cried. "I wanna know what's going to happen to Wutai too!"

"You will know what we decide." The emperor nodded toward the door. "Out."

But she was going to try one more tactic. "I'm the princess!" she said. "I'll have to be ruling Wutai someday. Shouldn't I know how these kinds of things play out?" And she abhorred the thought that one day she would be queen. That was not the life she wanted for herself, tied down to meetings, signing documents, and figuring out important and country-changing ideas. For her to bring it up now, meant that she was desperate to know the details of what was going on tonight.

Emperor Kisaragi was not impressed. "Unless your attitude improves, you will not be fit to rule," he scolded.

It was always this way! Yuffie stuck out her tongue in displeasure. She would leave, alright. But that did not mean she would not keep listening. She had a perfect right to know what they were talking about!

Sephiroth did not relax until the heavy door shut a moment later, signaling the girl's departure. His arms dropped to his sides. "What's the current situation in this city?" he asked. "I heard about the hotel." His voice was all business. He would never let it be otherwise. Anything else would be unprofessional. And he would not say anything about Yuffie's performance. Both he and the emperor knew how hard it was to keep her in line. That was not what needed to be discussed.

Godo sighed, shaking his head as he crossed the room to another door. He grasped the handle, easing the object ahead of him and revealing the space beyond. A low table was visible, with cushions on the floor around it. On the table were several folders, left there by Adviser Aoyama before retreating to a far corner of the palace.

He had been most upset at the news of General Sephiroth's return, but most especially by the fact that the man had been invited back to the palace. He still felt that Godo had taken leave of his senses, but instead of also resigning, he had simply requested to not be needed upon Sephiroth's arrival. The last thing he wanted to do was to greet the SOLDIER when he did not feel cordial. Emperor Kisaragi had been disappointed in these actions, but he had granted permission. Aoyama's presence was not necessary. And it might only make the meeting awkward.

"The people are frightened," the emperor spoke now, entering the room. "Any who have been friendly towards the SOLDIERs have determined that it is better to not let it be known. The destruction of the hotel was particularly distressing and unsettling. It was done in the same manner that the orphanage went up in flames." He gestured to the cushions, indicating for Sephiroth to be seated first.

Sephiroth let the door close behind him as he followed his ally into what had better be a private conference room. He sank onto the nearest cushion in a kneeling position, his hair tumbling down his back and at his sides to come to a rest against the plush.

"Even the Houojis and the orphanage director Ms. Shidou?" he queried with a frown.

Godo knelt across from him. "They are still willing to help the SOLDIERs," he said, "but now, for the safety of their families and the children, it must be in secret."

Sephiroth nodded. That was the most wise decision. Wutai was deteriorating into total madness. One's convictions could be the death of entire households. And it was not by the gods' hands, as some of the people had superstitiously decided months ago. If anything, the ones responsible for what was happening were devils. He would see to it that they burned in Hell, where they belonged. It was all they deserved, especially after what they had done . . . !

He caught himself, frowning as Godo's concerned gaze came into focus. He had allowed his thoughts to carry him away again. That was unacceptable. He must concentrate on the here and now, and not become entangled in his emotions. They were screaming to be heard, but at all costs they must be locked in his heart.

"General . . ." The emperor's expression and voice held deep worry. "You must be exhausted after the long trip. I heard you came by airship this time."

A curt nod. "It was leaving sooner than the airplane." And once arriving on the island that housed Wutai, he had needed to take a train the rest of the way. The captain of the airship had refused to set foot in Wutai, for fear that the rebels would decide that he was friendly to the SOLDIERs and therefore must die. And Sephiroth did not blame him. Such was the world in which they lived.

Emperor Kisaragi nodded as well. Something unspoken hung in the air.

"You wonder if I'm capable of handling this mission."

Sephiroth's words were flat and matter-of-fact. He was not surprised in the least. Many had wondered exactly that over the last few weeks. But he had been insistent, even moreso upon learning that he was needed again in Wutai. And against his better judgement, Lazard had said, he had agreed to send the General. If he could take care of the assignment without letting his personal feelings get in the way, then he would be the one best suited to the task.

And that had never been a problem before. At least, not that anyone other than he and Zack knew.

With his thoughts so plainly laid on the table, Godo did not hesitate. "Yes," he agreed. "I am concerned, considering . . ."

"It won't affect my judgement." Sephiroth's voice was the same as it had been when he had spoken to Yuffie a moment previous---cold and efficient, and filled with a warning. He did not appreciate anyone questioning his abilities, no matter whether it was the executive director of SOLDIER or the emperor of Wutai. No one had the right to determine what he could and could not do.

Emperor Kisaragi's eyes narrowed as he searched his former enemy and current comrade's face. The General's visage was as if carved from stone. There was no indication of any less than professional feelings. Yet, for a fleeting moment, unbridled hatred had flashed through the green eyes. There was something festering under the surface, something very human and understandable, but not appropriate for this mission. Sephiroth was trying to keep it under control. Ordinarily he would not have difficulty succeeding. But now was so vastly different from what had been the case those months past, when the General had pulled his battered and torn body onto the steps of the palace.

Still, right now he would not question the matter further. He would wait and see how Sephiroth managed. But even one mistake could prove fatal. And they were both aware of it.

At last the older man leaned back, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. "Very well then," he said. "Let us continue."

Sephiroth nodded in approval.

* * *

_Shooting . . . so much gunfire erupting all around him. It was a furious blur as he dodged and dived and blocked bullets with his sword. The dance of death. And he was locked within it, unable to break away, incapable of doing anything but to record the sounds of the other parts of the battle in another part of his mind._

_There was more shooting in the near distance, and a helicopter's roar. Zack had no choice but to use his materia in an attempt to down the vehicle. The other terrorists could not be allowed to escape._

_He was able to look up in the split-second following Zack's enthusiastic cheer. He had landed a direct hit, and the helicopter was being forced to come to earth before it crashed into the waterfall nearby._

_Zack looked to him, grinning as he made a V for victory with his fingers. They would take the creeps in and see to it that this reign of terror ended here. Mission accomplished!_

_The explosion was deafening. A cry of "Shinra dogs!" erupted from the helicopter, followed by malevolent laughter. And fear stabbed into Sephiroth's heart. The bombs ravaging the careening aircraft were not accidental. This was a last attempt to take out the hated SOLDIERs. If they were going to be taken prisoner, they would rather die, and the SOLDIERs would go down with them._

_Zack's triumph changed to panic and alarm in an instant. The helicopter was coming right at him. He dived forward. He had to get out of the line of fire! He had to . . ._

_And then he was gone, consumed as the flames and the searing metal came upon him._

_Someone screamed. Was it Zack, a last cry of agony as he burned? Or was it Sephiroth, helplessly watching?_

_A blade was thrust near his face. Everything had happened in the space of several seconds. Even though time had froze, despite the fact that it yet felt stilled, it had to continue. And Sephiroth's battle was not over yet._

_The Masamune clanged against the other weapon. Each owner began to force his weight, attempting to throw the other off-balance. And the heartless laughter rang through the air._

"Dead! He's dead, like the dog he was! He'll burn in Hell now. And you will join him!"

_The pupils became catlike slits. In an instant the true cur regretted his words. Sephiroth cut him down without mercy._

_He looked up, shaking as he stared at the raging inferno. A body had fallen out of the helicopter and was laying lifeless on the cliff's edge. Already it was blackened and burned beyond recognition. Somewhere in the flames, Zack's body was the same . . . or worse. . . ._

_His hand shook, the crimson on the blade dripping to the ground at his feet. Zack's final look, of victory turning to horror, was seared into his mind._

_He had lost his only remaining, and his closest, friend. And he had stood and watched it happen._

Green eyes snapped open, staring into the darkness surrounding him. He gasped, the breath leaving his lips in quick, frantic motions. He was in the Wutaian palace, in the room given to him. And he was alone, alone with his incubus. Only it was not just a nightmare, a phantom that would vanish upon awakening. When awake, the anguish was all the more pronounced.

Slowly he sat up on the futon, his bangs drifting into his face. He did not bother to push them aside.

Zack was dead.

He had pushed his grief away, locking it into the deepest corner of his heart. Angeal and Genesis had betrayed him, and now Zack was gone as well. To care about anyone only brought heartache, just as he had been told so many years ago. And his feelings were not appropriate for a General in the military. There was no time to mourn.

Others had told him, out of either concern for him or worry that the work would not get done, that he needed to take time off, he needed to allow himself to sorrow over Zack's passing. If he was grieving so deeply, he would not be able to do his assignments anyway. But he had refused. Zack had been a worthy comrade, a dear friend, and his death was to be regretted. Sephiroth had seen many perish in the heat of battle. He could not stop to mourn over every one of them.

He had presented himself as cold, calloused, over what had happened. Even in his most private moments, he could not admit how shredded his soul was. Zack had built him up from the last time his spirits had been crushed. He had reconstructed every piece of Sephiroth's shattered heart, making his life full and meaningful. Now the breakage had been many times more severe. It looked impossible to ever repair it. And he did not even want to try. He would go on as he had always done, treating the men with kindness, but refusing to become close to any of them.

But it was never that easy. All of the men were heartbroken over Zack's death as well, and sometimes they wanted to talk about him. And Sephiroth could scarcely stand it. He did not want to hear about how kind Zack had been, or how he had hung out with the Third Class SOLDIERs and chatted with them, or about the time he had flirted with a pretty nurse and her boyfriend had chased him all over the base. He did not want to hear such stories because he could picture them so easily; he could just imagine Zack's understanding tone, or his innocent flirting, and his panic as he was hounded from the infirmary to Sephiroth's quarters, where he had taken refuge. He did not want to remember how those times had made him feel---amused, content, happy . . . loved. He did not want to remember, because now it had been taken away.

He was alone again. He had always believed that it was his lot in life, and now this only served to prove it all the more.

There was a legend in some parts of Gaia that said that when a good person died, he or she was given a star in the Heavens, to shine their light upon their still-living loved ones, and upon all who would look up and enjoy the star's brightness. And who knew but what it was true? That would be exactly what Zack would want, to have some way to still touch people's lives after death.

But Sephiroth did not want to look up at a star, far out of his reach, silent. A star would not laugh. A star would not tease him. A star would not hug him with gusto.

And a star most certainly would never call him "Seph."

Every night, when he was asleep, the nightmares would return. The fateful battle would play out just as it had done then, with one difference. Zack's final expression was always visible, as a shadowy ghost in the background. When the events reached their zenith, Zack's panic-stricken and alarmed visage intensified. Sephiroth always awakened with it burning before his eyes. He could never block it out.

He could not have done anything to save Zack. Logically, he knew that. He had been locked in combat. But that did not take away the horror, the pain . . . or the guilt.

Why? Why could he not have seen, have known, that the terrorists might try a last foolish act? He knew that they were not above dying for their cause, and taking others with them. But he had not expected what had happened that day. He could never have expected it.

It was their fault that Zack was dead. He gripped the comforter, his knuckles turning white. They would have to answer for what they had done. Every last one of them, whether or not they had been present on that cliff. They were all just as treacherous, just as deserving of death, as the ones who had actually made sure of Zack's demise on the coast of the Eastern Continent. Their wicked and despicable behavior in Wutai would end, and they would all be captured. And he would be their judge, jury, and executioner.

Yes, he could handle this mission. He had to. He had to rid the world of this incomprehensible evil, that had taken his best friend away from him.


	2. Stardust

**Notes: Thanks to Kaze for plot help!**

**Chapter Two**

**Stardust**

Sephiroth was not well-rested when it was time to arise in the morning. As soon as his tired eyes cracked open, he wanted to close them again. He could not have slept very long. The incubus had not made slumber pleasant during the middle of the night, and then he had been awake for some time afterwards. That was becoming routine by now, but he could not take it for much longer. It had gone on for weeks, and he was being run ragged.

Green eyes narrowed. He had to press forward, no matter how difficult it was to get up. From experience, he knew that he would not be sleeping any more that day. And there were so many things to accomplish. Laying in bed longing for sleep that would not come was not going to help anyone.

Throwing back the quilt, he pulled himself into a sitting position. Several locks of hair slipped over his bare shoulders, but he did not immediately push them back. Instead he stared with blank eyes near the end of the futon.

The new leads were not that conclusive. Most of them had now been burned down. But that indicated that there may well have been something to them. Today he would need to visit the remaining locations.

Zack should be coming in now, clapping him on the shoulder and telling him how good the food was. Zack had loved the cuisine when they had been here before.

He had been so patient, taking care of Sephiroth both before and after they had departed Wutai. Sephiroth had been frustrated many a time, having such limited mobility, and once or twice Zack had become upset as well, usually when Sephiroth had been extremely stubborn. He had wanted to do things on his own before he was well enough to do so. And he had become angry and defensive when Zack had yelled, especially since it was so rare for Zack to be that overwraught towards Sephiroth.

If only Zack was here to yell at him now. . . .

A quiet smirk came over Sephiroth's features. If Zack saw him like this, angsting, he would certainly say _something_. This was not suiting for him. The ache in his heart would never cease, but he had to push it away again. He had to adopt the militaristic behavior of a General to deal with Wutai's problems. The exhausted and lonely friend could not do it.

Pushing the comforter aside the rest of the way, he began to ease himself upright.

Was this the same room he had been in the last time? It almost looked like it. How ironic.

He shuffled into the bathroom, coming to a halt in front of the mirror. A frown graced his features as he studied his reflection. He looked terrible. Reaching down, he turned on the cold water tap at the sink. He cupped his hands, leaning forward as he splashed the refreshing liquid on his face. At least now he looked awake. Still terrible, but awake.

He half-turned, brushing his hair around in front of him with his hands. He knew what he would see on his back, when he looked to the mirror once more. Most of the burn scars had faded, leaving behind the other marks on his skin, the ones made by cruel scientists. But a few of the deepest burns had left their insignia as well. It annoyed him in some way, that his skin was marred. But it had been that way for years. He had had to get used to it. The rest of his flesh was flawless, save the scar on his collarbone.

He frowned again. That was not something he wanted to think about, either.

Brushing his hair back over his shoulder, he moved to the tub. He would take a quick shower before breakfast, and then he should leave. It would be a long day. And hopefully, not completely pointless.

* * *

_"Is Cadet Cloud Strife here?"_

_It was not something he wanted to do---to go looking for Zack's young friend and inform him of Zack's demise. As he stood in the barracks of the military police, it all felt so unreal. And the dark storm that hung over the building was unmistakable. They already knew._

_The guards all snapped to attention, stunned by the General's sudden appearance. For him to come there was the last thing they had expected. He had been distancing himself since returning to the base, not seeking anyone out. What had happened had been heart-wrenching for all of Zack's loved ones, but the General had been there. He had seen it happen. That fact had to make it far worse for him._

_At last one of the boys at the far end of the line stepped forward. "I . . . I'm Cloud Strife, sir," he said, his voice muffled through the helmet._

Sephiroth gave a slow nod, looking him up and down. In complete regulation uniform, his appearance was no different from any of the others. "The rest of you are dismissed," he said.

_No one protested. They quickly filed out, each no doubt wondering what Cloud had done to earn a visit from the General himself. The last to leave shut the door behind him. The General would want privacy._

_Sephiroth crossed his arms. "Take off your helmet," he ordered. It was hard to determine much about the boy when his face was not even visible. Zack had spoken of him often, but Sephiroth had never met him._

_His hands shaking, Cloud began to remove the mask that hid his visage from the world. As he lowered it, Sephiroth met his nervous gaze. The green eyes were veiled and frozen, and the blue orbs staring back were wide with stunned shock and even awe. Blond spikes stuck in every direction, as if the helmet had been pressing down wild springs that were now released._

_Sephiroth hid his amusement. "How old are you, Cadet Strife?" he asked._

_Cloud shifted, holding the helmet with awkwardness. "I . . . fourteen, sir," he admitted._

_Sephiroth gave a curt nod. Only nine years his junior, then, and several years younger than Zack. "Then you joined right after your birthday?"_

"Y-yeah . . . yes, sir." Cloud ran his tongue over his lips, his frustration over his breach of etiquette obvious. "On my birthday, actually. . . . I'd been planning it for a long time."

_"Has it been fulfilling for you?" Sephiroth knew from Zack that Cloud had been trying to get into SOLDIER. But he was always rejected, forced to remain a lowly MP. Perhaps his fighting ability was simply not good enough for SOLDIER. Sephiroth did not know for certain; he had never looked into the matter._

_Cloud looked uncomfortable. "It could be better, sir," he said._

_"Do you wish that you were home again?"_

_Cloud hesitated, contemplating his answer. "I'm not sure, sir," he said at last._

_"You don't think you should say 'No' to make yourself look good?"_

_Cloud shifted again. "You would probably see through a lie, sir."_

_Sephiroth nodded, pleased. He liked this cadet._

"Do you know who I am?" Judging from his stammering, it seemed inane to inquire. But Sephiroth had done so anyway.

_"You're General Sephiroth, sir!" Cloud asserted._

_Another nod. "Commander Fair has told me you are a friend of his."_

_Cloud averted his gaze, swallowing hard. "I was, sir," he acknowledged. In that moment he looked so lost, so alone . . . so like Sephiroth himself felt. He knew that Cloud was the outcast of the cadets. Zack had been his only close friend since coming to Midgar._

_And for a moment, the ice melted._

_Sephiroth reached out, laying his hand firmly on Cloud's shoulder. Under his grip, the boy stiffened in disbelief._

_"I'm sorry," Sephiroth said. For what? That Zack was dead? That Sephiroth had not been able to stop it? That Cloud was alone now? He could not know all that Cloud was personally feeling right now, but he did understand a great deal of that pain and anguish. They had both lost their light._

_They remained like that in silence for what was only a brief passage of time, but which seemed much longer. Something was being exchanged between them, something that could not easily be spoken. A bond was beginning to form between the gruff General and the MP who idolized him._

_At last Cloud spoke, unbidden, yet feeling perfectly secure in doing so. "I'm sorry, too, sir." He looked into the softened gaze. "I know you must miss him, too. Commander Fair told me a lot about you."_

_Sephiroth was tempted to say nothing at all, to ignore these words. But another part of him did not want to. And in the end, that was the part he listened to._

_"Yes," he said. "I miss him very much. But he would want us to go on."_

_Cloud nodded. "I know, sir. I'm trying my best."_

_Sephiroth nodded as well. "That's all any of us can do, Cadet."_

_His hand dropped. "That is all," he said, his voice becoming businesslike again. "You may return to your duties."_

_"Yes, sir." Cloud hesitated. "Thank you, sir."_

_Sephiroth paused. Acknowledging the gesture with a slow nod, he turned to leave. Behind him, Cloud watched closely. His admiration of Sephiroth had increased tenfold, which he had not even thought would be possible._

Sephiroth started back to himself. Bah, he had gotten lost in his thoughts, and while driving through town, too. He needed to focus. Zack would tell him that he was unable to concentrate because he had skipped breakfast altogether. But it would be foolish to have stopped for that, when he was going to a café.

Cloud Strife was not what he had imagined . . . though he was not sure what he had imagined. Zack had spoken of his young friend as being alternately defiant or rebellious, quiet, and filled with wide-eyed wonder and hero worship._"He idolizes you, buddy,"_ Zack had said. And that had seemed to be true.

In some way, Sephiroth felt a fondness for the boy. Maybe that was just because he was Zack's friend. Or because he felt that fondness for all the men under his charge. They looked to him for guidance and leadership, and he was honored and proud to provide it---when he deemed himself able. When he was not able at all was when he dreaded it, whether or not he was willing to acknowledge that he could not do it.

And of course, he refused to acknowledge such a thing. He always pushed himself over his limit. Zack was probably watching him from the afterlife, shaking his head and yelling for Seph to slow down. Even though he knew it was a losing battle and always had been.

He glanced at the map on the passenger seat of the Jeep, being held down by a book since there was no one to hold it. According to this, the establishment he was attempting to visit should be right at the end of the block. He looked up again, slowing the vehicle as he approached the restaurant in question. Supposedly it was a front for some of the terrorists' activities. How they would react to a SOLDIER coming there to dine might either add to or take away from the incriminating evidence. They might be very good at hiding any ill feelings. On the other hand, there might be a cool dislike that they could not conceal. Though either way would not tell him for certain whether they were among the rebels.

He maneuvered the Jeep into an available parking space before shutting off the engine. Pocketing the key, he opened the door and stepped out onto the dirt. Wutai still did not have enough money for many paved roads and parking lots. SOLDIER was in the process of constructing them, but only on the main roads so far. This was a small, out of the way place down a side street.

Coming to the door, he pushed it open and stepped inside. The decor was modern, yet at the same time there was something ancient about it, similar to the palace. But there were both Wutaian tables, low to the floor with mats or cushions, and the higher tables with chairs that Sephiroth was used to. From this alone, it hinted that outsiders were welcome. But outsiders in general may or may not include SOLDIERs.

He crossed the tiled floor to the counter. No one was there. A bell to his side bore a notation in both Wutaian and the Gaian Basic language, informing him to ring for service. He usually tried to avoid it if possible; people more often than not returned from the back rooms before long. But if he utilized the device now, it would help determine how the workers felt about being called to the front. He reached out, placing his hand over it as he gave one firm ring.

Almost instantly, a voice answered. "I'll be right there!"

Sephiroth's eyes widened. That voice was familiar.

Soon the speaker was hurrying out, drying his hands on a towel. Once he saw the man leaning on the counter, he stared. "General Sephiroth!" he exclaimed.

Sephiroth straightened. "Jono Houoji." What was the explanation for this? Jono was the farthest thing from a terrorist. People could change, but trying to imagine such a drastic switch of personality was almost as impossible as the thought of Zack committing terrorist acts. Did that mean that the information was false, a lead meant to throw the SOLDIERs off the trail? Or would Jono even dare to work undercover, trying to gather information from among the enemy? It was even possible that he would not realize he was in a den of demons. Maybe this was just where he worked, with no knowledge of anything vile taking place among his fellow employees.

"I heard you were coming, my friend!" Jono said, setting the towel aside as he held out his hand. "I just hadn't realized you would find this humble café."

Sephiroth gave a short handshake, searching the older man's eyes as he spoke again. "I hadn't realized either." He would not state the true purpose of his arrival. It was better to let Jono think he had come for the food, at least until he was absolutely certain of what was going on. Now he was fully on alert, preparing himself for whatever might happen. Even if Jono was guiltless, the room could be wired. Every syllable of their conversation might be being heard by the true enemies.

Jono sobered. "I heard about Zack," he said. "I am so sorry."

"He was a good man and a skilled SOLDIER." Now Sephiroth's tone was guarded.

Jono nodded. "He never gave up on you when you were in Wutai before," he said. "He was determined to see that you were found and brought back alive."

Sephiroth did not want to talk about that. He pulled a menu to him, opening it to scan the breakfast dishes. "What is your job here?" he asked, fishing his glasses out of his pocket.

"Mostly I tend the counter," Jono admitted, "but at times I make the food, too. Right now I'm the only worker here."

And herein was another dilemma. Sephiroth could not ask too many questions without seeming suspicious. Zack had been able to get away with it easily because he was a people person and was always interested in what they were up to, especially if he knew them. Sephiroth, meanwhile, preferred to mind his own business, and he did not care a great deal about various details such as what Jono's coworkers were like---or he would not, unless they were involved with the Wutaian rebels.

One thing he found himself thinking quite strongly was that it was surprising to see Jono working anywhere as anything less than a manager. He had always seemed like such a take-charge person. The first time Sephiroth had met him, when he had been a second lieutenant, Jono had successfully managed a plant. Had he lost his job because of his kindness towards the SOLDIERs? Maybe working as a cook at a little-visited diner was the only employment anyone was willing to give him.

But Jono appeared to sense Sephiroth's confusion. "It must look strange to you, to see me working here," he said, taking the towel to wipe down the counter.

"It did cross my mind," Sephiroth grunted.

Jono nodded. "I needed to find a way to support my family," he explained, which was not astounding after Sephiroth's monologue. "Wutai has been changing in many ways, not all of which are positive." The implication left hanging in the air was that he, indeed, had been thrown out of the better occupation he had held.

Sephiroth nodded as well. "It's growing worse since I was here before." He set the menu on the counter. "I'll have this," he said, pointing to a sensible listing.

"It's one of our specialties," Jono smiled. He looked about to say something else, but then changed his mind.

"Have you been to see my sister-in-law?" he asked instead.

"No, I haven't," Sephiroth said. And he was not planning to. The children would be wondering about Zack, and he did not feel as though he could deal with their questions, and their sadness and tears upon learning the answer. Though maybe Ms. Shidou had already told them, since Jono knew. But in any case, he did not have time to make social calls. He needed to devote all of his time and energy to stopping the rebels.

Jono would know that, too. Was there another reason why he was asking such a thing? Godo had said that the Houojis and Ms. Shidou were still ready to help SOLDIER, but it had to be in secret because of the chaos in Wutai. What if Ms. Shidou had some kind of information that Sephiroth needed?

He frowned, looking up to study the other's eyes. Jono gave the barest perceptible nod.

"SOLDIER business prevents that, I imagine," said Jono at last.

"It does," Sephiroth agreed.

Jono turned, heading for the kitchen. "I will prepare your breakfast, friend."

Sephiroth sank onto a stool next to where he had been standing. There was a jar of complimentary chocolate mints on his left side. If Zack was there, sitting on his right, he would be leaning across Seph to grab for the container. And Sephiroth would be looking at him as if to ask, Why didn't he just sit on the left side? He would receive an innocent look in response.

Catching a glimpse of his reflection in the smooth countertop, the vague and wistful smile on his features was obvious. He looked away again. Those times were over. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

* * *

Ms. Shidou and her charges had finally moved into the new orphanage that had been constructed by SOLDIER. Instead of the one level, simple wooden building that had been burned, now their home was a two-story, completely modern abode---including the latest in fire protection. It was built on the same ground as the previous one, and the deadly dropoff now had a brick wall blocking access from the yard.

As Sephiroth parked across the street and glanced over, several children were leaning out of the upstairs windows, watching him with curiosity. When he stepped out, his long hair swishing behind him, one of the kids exclaimed, "It the Gen'ral!" The boy vanished from the window, presumably to run downstairs.

Sephiroth recognized him. That was Ryou, one of the children he and Zack had struggled to rescue from the fire. Yuki, his sister, was still peering out the window, scrutinizing him. When he drew nearer, she disappeared as well. Her expression was unreadable. But it was usually impossible to tell what was going on behind her serious face.

He climbed the steps to the porch, reaching to knock on the double doors. Before he could, they were both flung wide open.

"Gen'ral!" Ryou greeted, smiling in excitement as he threw his arms around Sephiroth's waist. He had grown in the months that had passed. Standing on his tiptoes did not hurt, either. And even doing that, he only barely was able to reach where he was trying. Of course, at six feet one inch, Sephiroth was a tall man.

He laid a hand on the child's shoulder.

"Oh! General Sephiroth. I was hoping you would come by."

He looked up at the sound of the woman's voice. Ms. Shidou was standing just inside the doorway, her smile quiet, yet relieved.

"Ryou! Let's let him get in out of the cold, alright?" She reached out to herd the boy inside, but Ryou turned, scampering in on his own.

"'Kay!" he chirped.

Sephiroth stepped into the entryway, shutting the doors behind him. "SOLDIER did a good job here," he commented, turning back to face Ms. Shidou and Ryou. "It looks like a sturdy shelter."

"It is," Ms. Shidou answered, placing an arm around Ryou's shoulders. "Commander Fair would have been so happy. . . ." But then she stopped, guilt passing over her face. To bring up the deceased now was most likely inappropriate, especially when Zack had been so dear to Sephiroth.

Instead she looked down at Ryou. "Why don't you go and play now, Ryou?" she said. "I need to talk to the General for a little bit."

Ryou pouted. "But I wanna talk too!" he protested.

"You can see the General again before he leaves," Ms. Shidou assured him, and then glanced to Sephiroth for confirmation. He crossed his arms, giving a slight nod.

Ryou shifted, looking from her to the General. At last he nodded his consent. "I come back!" he said, crossing to the stairs and climbing onto the first step. Then he looked back, as if to make sure that Sephiroth was still there. For the next three steps, this repeated. Finally satisfied, he dashed up the rest of the way, waved to Sephiroth from the landing, and vanished down the hall.

Ms. Shidou shook her head, looking back to Sephiroth. "He's sweet, but he's a handful," she said, her tone half-apologetic.

Sephiroth gave a slow nod. "He alone must keep you busy," he commented.

"Yes." She smiled a bit. "But it's worth it.

"He thinks the world of you, you know," she added, walking to the doorway leading into the living room. "He's always talking about how you and Commander Fair saved him and Yuki."

Sephiroth followed, deciding to ignore that comment. "I saw your brother-in-law," he announced. "He suggested I come here."

Ms. Shidou nodded. "I was hoping you would meet," she said. Stopping in the middle of the room, she gestured to the deep blue furniture. "Please, sit down."

Sephiroth chose the nearest object, which happened to be a couch. Ms. Shidou sat across from him on another, with a glass end table in between them. She leaned forward, clasping her hands.

"General, Jono and I, and others of like minds, have been helping the SOLDIERs in secret. Some of us are stationed on what we call the Underground. We have been spying on people we suspect of being involved with the rebels. Some of them we have found and captured. Others we continue to watch.

"A couple of our members have managed to get into the terrorists' camps. They learn of prospective attacks and then get word to the rest of us. The SOLDIERs are then informed and can prepare. Sometimes the attacks can be stopped altogether. At other times, all that can be done is to evacuate everyone in the specified location to safety."

"If that can be done, a lot of good is being accomplished," Sephiroth interjected coldly, "even if the building is destroyed."

"Of course," Ms. Shidou nodded.

"Late last night, we found out about another horror these madmen are planning," she went on, "but we hadn't been able to contact SOLDIER about it. You have arrived just in time, we hope, to help avert another tragedy." Straightening up, she reached into her kimono and withdrew a folded piece of paper. She leaned forward, passing it to Sephiroth across the table.

He accepted, putting on his glasses before unfolding the sheet. His eyes narrowed. It was detailing a plan of attack to be carried out three days from now, at one of Wutai's oldest and most sacred buildings. According to the rebels, the SOLDIERs' presence had defiled it, and now it must be cleansed. They intended to detonate it at midnight on the third day.

He gripped the paper tight enough to crease it near his fingers. If that building collapsed, many innocent people living in its shadow would perish. Many others would be left seriously and perhaps permanently wounded, both physically and emotionally.

He looked up again, his eyes dark. "It won't happen," he vowed.

Ms. Shidou looked as though she wanted to relax. But something about both Sephiroth's tone and his eyes made her concerned. Outrage for the rebels' plans was only natural and human. She was outraged herself, especially since she had personally experienced their wrath. Sephiroth had, as well. And the hatred was flashing across his face.

In the next instant, however, it was gone. He removed his glasses, folding the paper. "I'll get in touch with the other SOLDIERs stationed here," he said. Now he was all business again, as if nothing odd had happened.

She nodded, slowly leaning back. "I hope you can," she said. "Something must be done right away, to fortify defenses and evacuate all who live there."

"It's a great risk you and the others are taking," he commented.

"We know." She regarded him with firm determination. "But to save Wutai, and make it safe for our loved ones, we are willing."

"You're more courageous than many of the people in the country," Sephiroth said. "Most would rather hide inside their homes and wait for the beams to come crashing on their heads." This was said with a certain hint of bitterness. Even though he understood, more or less, of the superstitions that many of the people held, it angered him that they had not been willing to help him those months previous. Since Zack's death, these thoughts had been coming to him with greater intensity. If it had been Zack wandering through Wutai, battered and half-dead and pleading for help, and he had been refused at every turn, Sephiroth's fury would be far worse than it already was on the subject. To turn Zack away was unforgivable.

"It's gotten better in some ways," Ms. Shidou said. "More and more people are having the motivation to join us on the Underground. Some of them also support SOLDIER. Some help even though they do not agree with SOLDIER, because they don't approve of the terrorism, either."

Then, as if recalling something important, her eyes widened for a split second. "Oh! I was forgetting. I have something that I think you'll want, General." She stood, crossing the room to a desk with a rolling lid. She slid it up, looking through the clutter of papers and envelopes.

Sephiroth frowned in confusion as he observed. What would she have here that he would want, unless it was something else to do with the case at hand? From her behavior, apparently growing absent-minded, it seemed odd that what she was retrieving would have anything to do with the rebel problem.

She straightened, seeming satisfied that she had located the desired object. As she turned, coming over to Sephiroth, he could not see what she bore in her hands. It was small, obviously, even moreso than the most minuscule piece of paper on the desk. But she was holding it with care.

"Commander Fair left this at my sister's home by accident," she said. "I didn't find it until we were moving in here." She swallowed. "That was already after . . . and well, I thought you might want to have it." She held out her hands.

Pain stabbed into Sephiroth's heart at the mention of Zack, as well as confusion. Now for certain he was bewildered. What would Zack have left here? He did not remember Zack mentioning anything getting lost in Wutai. He frowned, leaning forward to see what was being proffered. And his breath caught in his throat.

It was a small photograph, no larger than four by seven inches. Within it, Zack was throwing an arm around Sephiroth's shoulders, grinning big for the camera. Sephiroth was torn between irritation at the lens' presence and shock at Zack's sudden action.

In reality, Sephiroth reached out, taking the picture from Ms. Shidou's hands. He remembered when it had been taken, at the beginning of one of their earlier missions. Zack had all the copies, as well as the negatives, which must have been why he had not noticed just one copy being missing. But Sephiroth had not found any of them. Soon after he had returned from the horror of the cliff, he had forced himself to go through Zack's belongings. What he had found, he had placed in a box, with the intention of sending it to Zack's parents.

He had never been especially fond of pictures, both having them taken and keeping them around. He would much rather have the real person there, instead of only being able to look at their image. But now, staring at the photograph he was holding and remembering the mission when it had been taken, he wanted this one. He did not want anything about Zack to fade from his memory over time. And looking at the picture somehow brought a bit of balm as well as a knife.

He raised his gaze to Ms. Shidou's. "Thank you," he said, his voice quiet and sincere.

She nodded. "I'm glad to be able to give it to you, if it's something you want," she said.

"It is," Sephiroth responded in an instant.

The sharp ringing of his cell phone interrupted the moment. He frowned, pulling it out of his pocket. What was this now? The number was from the palace. He unfolded it, placing it to his ear.

A young and upset voice screamed into his ear. "You've gotta come back!" Yuffie yelled, not bothering to wait for Hello. In the background, frantic running and screaming could be heard.

Sephiroth winced, jerking the device away from his ear. When it seemed safe, he replaced it. "What's happening there?" he demanded. The strange matter of how Yuffie had gotten his number would have to wait.

"We're being attacked!" Yuffie shot back. "Get back here!" The line went dead.

Sephiroth was standing in an instant. "I have to go," he said to Ms. Shidou.

She nodded worriedly, standing as well. She had heard Yuffie's desperate voice, though she did not quite recognize it. And Sephiroth did not intend to explain. Not that he should be expected to do so. No matter the work being done with the Underground, they were still civilians. Sephiroth was under no obligation to share with them the details of what he was doing.

"Gen'ral!"

Sephiroth started, looking down at the child who had suddenly appeared and was latching onto his hand. Ryou stared up at him, tears filling his eyes. And something else too---the reflections of the horror he had felt over the fire.

"You get hurt!" he cried.

"I won't," Sephiroth said, beginning to remove his hand from the boy's grasp. "This is something I have to take care of."

"The General has been in many dangerous battles," Ms. Shidou said, coming over to comfort Ryou. "He will be alright."

"But Com'and Fair not!" Ryou wailed.

Sephiroth's expression hardened. He turned, walking to the doors and throwing them open. It was true. Zack was not, and would never, be alright. But the same thing would not happen to him. He still had many things he needed to accomplish. And if he would have to be alone in order to do so, then so be it.


	3. I Watch the Stars Go Out

**Notes: Thanks to Kaze and Lisa for plot help!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**I Watch the Stars Go Out**

The smoke could be seen long before the palace actually came into Sephiroth's view. He stared at the sight, his eyes flashing in anger and confusion. What was happening? Was it a terrorist attack that had been kept secret? And if so, did that mean they knew that they had been infiltrated? What if it was not the terrorists, but angry citizens who were rising up against the emperor because they did not like his policies? With Sephiroth's arrival the previous day, that could have pushed them over the edge. He needed to get there immediately.

The loud _wark!_ ringing out from around the corner seemed to have come on purpose to defy him. There was barely enough time to throw on the brakes before the chocobo-drawn cart came into view and began to cross over the road. Both the bird and the driver seemed very lazy and unconcerned, heedless of Sephiroth's need to hurry. Their destination was probably the marketplace on the other side of the road, and with it so near, they saw no reason to rush. Sephiroth glowered. Almost without thinking, he began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel.

Zack would have been amused, had he seen. Seph was not prone to such actions. It was more like something Zack himself would do. He had probably picked it up from Zack, when he thought about it.

Why did he have to keep thinking about things such as that? It only made it more difficult to deal with the present. And that was all that mattered.

Green eyes glowered at the cart driver as the chocobo continued to amble past at an outrageous speed. Beyond this marketplace, the road turned uphill and steepened. It should not be a problem in the Jeep. He had never come this way before, but it was the fastest way to gain the palace from where he had been stationed.

At last the cart was fully out of his way. He revved the engine, bursting past in a dust cloud. The cart driver blinked, looking stupidly over his shoulder. Only now was the motorized vehicle's presence noticed at all, and it was a strange discovery. The old and the new, on the same Wutaian highway. Cars were owned only by the very rich . . . or by the military. And from the Jeep's appearance, it was the latter.

Sephiroth pulled on the shift, switching the Jeep to another gear. Stepping harder on the accellerator, he began to make the ascent. Dirt and pebbles ground under the strong tires as he advanced. Even though it was a very primitive pathway, he was already almost halfway up.

The last thing he expected was for another Jeep to appear at the top of the hill. The driver was not visible, but that was not as important as the fact that the vehicle was abruptly careening towards him. And if there even was a driver, stopping was not an intention.

There was no way to swerve the Jeep around this menace, or even to back up in time. There was only time to throw on the brakes and fling himself out the door. He had barely landed on his feet several feet away when the sounds of the collision crunched into his mind. A prickle ran down his spine.

His eyes narrowed as he whirled around. The two vehicles had smashed together in an unrecognizable way, fumes emerging from both hoods. And now they were rolling down the hill again. The Jeep he had been driving spun free at the bottom, as if pulled towards the marketplace. But instead of crashing into the nearest stall, it was heading right for that blasted cart! The driver only barely glanced over his shoulder before the impact. Suddenly there was a tangled mess of wood and metal. The cart had flipped completely over, and the chocobo, still hitched to it, began to shriek and _wark_ in panic.

The Jeep responsible for the damage now rolled blissfully along, coming to a harmless halt in the middle of the road. There was no driver.

Sephiroth gritted his teeth, his fingers curling tighter around the hilt of the Masamune. It could be an accident, the result of some careless fool not remembering to set the brakes. Or it could be the work of the rebels, wanting to stop Sephiroth from reaching the palace in time. Considering the bigger picture, it was tempting to leave the scene and continue his journey. But neither Jeep was in drivable condition now, and going on foot would take too long.

And even though his first priority was to stop whatever catastrophe was happening at the palace, his sense of duty would not allow him to abandon the disaster here without seeing what he could do about it.

With quick strides he gained the bottom of the hill and made his way to where the crowd was beginning to gather. No one was willing to get too close, with the chocobo flailing and screaming. The beak and the claws were not inviting prospects! But something had to be done. The driver was trapped underneath the cart, crying out in pain and desperation for help. And he could not be released until the bird was calm.

"Who here is familiar with chocobos?" Sephiroth demanded.

All present started, looking up at the SOLDIER. Wutaian people were generally short, and the sight of someone as tall and strong as Sephiroth was quite astounding at first. But upon seeing his piercing stare, his question was recalled. And they all shook their heads. The common people were much too poor to afford such creatures.

This was not helping to lengthen his patience. He came closer, stopping in front of the screaming cart driver.

"You'll be helped," he said, his tone harsh and clipped. "But this kind of behavior is only making your chocobo more upset."

The man stopped in mid-holler, staring up at the towering figure. "She calms down really good if you pet her and talk to her, sir," he said then, stumbling over his words. His face was contorted in agony. "But I can't do much for her right now!"

"You can be quiet," Sephiroth grunted. He was certainly no bird charmer. Chocobos usually liked Zack better than him, probably because Zack's hair made them think he was a relation. But he was going to have to try, since no one else seemed able or even willing.

This was so frustrating! Hopefully some of the other SOLDIERs had reached the palace by now, taking better paths. How had his own road been known, anyway? Was he being spied on? Or maybe all the roads to the palace were being blocked in a similar manner. His lip curled at the thought. It would not be above their enemies, to do such a thing.

"This man is going to need medical assistance," he snapped at the oogling shoppers and merchants. "Go find an able physician, and some kind of ambulance while you're at it. Is this a spectator sport for you?"

The crowd gaped at him, but no one protested. Slowly their numbers began to diminish, though some still remained. It would have to be ignored.

With purpose Sephiroth walked near the hysterical bird. Now it had spread its wings wide, and was swinging them aimlessly in its struggle to be free. He dodged to the side as a yellow, feathered appendage was flung in his direction without warning. But he kept coming.

He was speaking in a low voice, hardly loud enough for the chocobo to hear over its wailings. But a raised voice would only make things worse. It would hear him eventually, but maybe not until after he attempted grabbing for it. He reached out, catching one side of the reins.

_WARK!_

The chocobo began to shake its head from side to side, its eyes rolling in their sockets. But Sephiroth only held on tighter, coming close enough to reach out and touch the creature's downy neck. He spoke to it again, running his gloved hand up and down the feathers.

Gradually the volume of the _warks_ began to lessen. At last the chocobo half-closed its eyes, making a cooing sound in its throat. Carefully Sephiroth unhooked the bridle and the halter, releasing the bird. Giving it one last pat, he turned back to the problem of the cart. The driver had been silent for some time, and now it looked as though he had lost consciousness.

Sephiroth looked back up at the crowd, which was growing in numbers again. "Help me with this cart," he ordered. His tone carried a strong warning to not argue with him.

And they realized it. Several able-bodied men stepped forward, getting on all sides of the broken and twisted vehicle. With Sephiroth directing them, they managed to heave the smashed frame up enough to push it aside. It crashed back into the dirt, sending up another dust cloud. Most of the people, used to this happening and intent on the problem at hand, did not cough.

Sephiroth knelt by the driver's battered body, feeling for a pulse and then checking for fractured bones. Still alive, and though the neck and spine were not broken, several ribs had been damaged. The breathing was slow, and somewhat labored, but so far it did not seem to be what one would expect to hear if one or both lungs were punctured.

The modern sirens seemed almost out of place in this scene. The hospitals were among the few fully modern buildings, and even then, it was only in larger cities and towns, like this one, that it was possible. Many of the villages knew only the traditional, too-small, and ill-equipped infirmaries that had survived for decades.

A scream from a nearby woman brought Sephiroth's head up with a jerk. A man was flying through the air, apparently having jumped from the roof of one of the merchant's stalls. A semi-automatic gun was clutched in his hands, and he let off several rounds directly at Sephiroth, swearing loudly in Wutaian.

The Masamune was brought up in an instant. Sephiroth's eyes were narrowed dangerously. Anyone watching him would see the rage and hatred that was rising to the surface. He would not stand for this! Not only was he being prevented from reaching the palace, and being shot at, but the gunner seemed determined to hit the senseless form at the SOLDIER General's feet. Sephiroth moved forward, to the side, then back again, all to defend the driver while shielding himself from the steady stream of bullets as well. Did these monsters have no mercy or conscience at all, even for any of their own people?

The shooter landed on his feet several yards away, much too close for comfort. But Sephiroth stepped forward. Behind him, the paramedics were hurrying to the driver. Sephiroth would lead this new nemesis away from the scene. The terrorist would not interfere with getting help to that poor soul, not if Sephiroth had anything to say or do about it. Chances were, he was involved with what had happened with the Jeep in the first place.

Three more emerged from behind and between merchants' stalls, all bearing guns. Such weapons were expensive. Who was selling them? If Broken Circle was still active, it would be his first consideration. But it had been closed down, the company president presumed dead and the corporation itself under investigation. There would always be other Broken Circles, however. Always someone to incite the rebels in this madness.

_They would die._

Without warning a blade pierced the man on the far end. He gasped, a dying cry tearing from his lips as he collapsed to the earth. A Second Class SOLDIER stepped forward, his expression set and firm.

Immediately the remaining three guns were trained on him. Sephiroth did not ignore the opportunity to attack the one nearest to him, sending the gun out of his hands. In the next instant, he and the other two rebels had all been cut down.

Sephiroth pulled the Masamune out of the last corpse, raising his gaze to meet the newcomer's. "How did you come to be here, SOLDIER?" he asked.

"I was sent to find you, sir!" the Second Class SOLDIER answered, coming to attention at his General's words. "The situation at the palace is terrible. They need you right away!"

Sephiroth frowned. "Shouldn't you have stayed to help out yourself?" Not that he was not grateful, but it seemed odd.

"My commander sent me, sir," he said. "I could scout the area here to see if there's any more of these . . . people." He hesitated with the word, not liking to even call them as such.

Sephiroth gave a curt nod. After what had happened, someone should stay. And he needed to leave.

"Do that," he said. "I'll go to the palace. Do you know specifically what's happening there?"

The boy shook his head. "No, sir," he said. "Only that there's a lot of fire, and the princess may be missing. . . . You can take the Jeep I brought, sir! It's right behind those stalls," he added, gawking at the two mangled vehicles, the strutting chocobo, and the man being loaded into the ambulance.

Another nod. Sephiroth turned, heading in that direction. His sword was kept firmly in his hand. He had lost close to ten minutes. And if there was a fire, that ten minutes could mean everything. It did anyway, considering what they were up against.

* * *

He leaped out of the Jeep as soon as he found a good place to park close by. The sight was grim to see. Fire leaped from at least two different parts of the palace, possibly three or four. Even from the bottom of the long staircase, it was clear to see that already a good deal of the building was damaged. If anyone was still inside, they needed to be evacuated immediately.

His boots hit upon the steps with both swiftness and urgency. There was no time to remember when he had dragged his mangled body up the flight of stairs to the very top. But even now, when he was perfectly healthy, it did not feel as though there was a lesser amount of steps. Every stair had been an adventure, those months past. It had taken so long to reach the top, and his consciousness had been nearly spent. Now, he again needed to hurry, and it seemed that the staircase was neverending.

At last he was coming to the landing. The damage was spreading much too quickly, even with the fire protection that the palace must surely have. Beams fell to the earth, blackened and charred, and some still aflame. At least half of one wall was gone. Beyond it Sephiroth could see the corridor, and the smoke spilling out from it. He quickened his pace. This was just like many of the rebel attacks in the past. But it did not matter whether they or other frenzied citizens were responsible. He would see that they paid! How dare they set fire to and explode so many buildings, never caring who perished in the process!

_How dare they kill Zack._

As he moved across the grounds, Masamune in hand, Aoyama stumbled up to him. His pudgy face was twisted in anger and panic, and he reached to halt Sephiroth's flight.

"The princess is still somewhere inside!" he cried. "She wanted to stop the ones doing this, and they may have found and taken her!"

That was not what Sephiroth wanted to hear. "Can't anyone in the palace keep better hold of her than that?" he snapped.

Aoyama flushed. "There was suddenly so much going on . . . !" he protested.

"And that's your excuse for losing track of Wutai's only heir to the throne during a terrorist attack?!" Sephiroth retorted.

"I don't know!" Aoyama screamed, throwing up his hands in despair.

"For everyone's sake, the security as a whole had better be more competent than that!" Sephiroth said. "Is anyone else still inside?"

"The emperor went back in, with a couple of SOLDIERs!" Aoyama said. "And the palace ninjas should still be there. His Lordship said for me to stay out here and wait for you." And both his tone of voice and his grimace said that it was a most undesirable task. Though he also did not look like he would be ready to face the arsonists if he happened upon them.

Sephiroth gave a curt nod. "Stay out here and see if anyone comes out." He turned to go through the doors.

"But then what?" exclaimed the hapless Aoyama.

"That depends on who comes out!" Sephiroth said. He did not have time for this. Without waiting for another response, he disappeared into the increasing inferno.

Visibility was instantly diminished. He clapped a hand over his nose and mouth, squinting as his eyes began to water. It would help if he knew where the palace ninjas were. Then he would not end up searching where they had already looked. Time was a precious commodity that could hardly be wasted. But he would have to take a chance. There was no choice.

The smoke pouring out of the rooms was bringing back too many ill memories. He and Zack had tried to save the orphans . . . and then had gotten separated. He had found the two children, but had been unable to get them out of the burning room. He had protected them, and had been propelled out of the building, the fire eating through his coat and to his flesh. . . .

He had watched, helpless, as Zack had burned to death. . . .

He gripped the hilt of the Masamune, dashing around the next corner.

He hated fire.

. . . There was a figure up ahead, through the smoke. Was it one of the madmen who had started the blaze? He narrowed his eyes, pressing forward through the mists. It was Godo Kisaragi. He recognized the emperor now. And this meeting was coming not a moment too soon.

"You haven't found Yuffie?" he asked as he came up beside the other.

"No," was the reply. Godo's voice was even, but there were traces of agitation and anger. "If they have her, there is no telling what cruelty they may enact!"

"Do you know why they're doing this?" Sephiroth responded, as they resumed their journey down the corridor.

"I can predict it," Godo answered, his tone growing more dark. "They want me to retract what I said at my address several months ago. They want me to evict the SOLDIERs from Wutai, and especially you from the palace itself." He kept a hand over his nose and mouth as they checked into every room they passed.

"They may be fed up with you altogether," said Sephiroth, glowering at the latest empty room. "This time, they may be taking no prisoners." Yuffie might already be dead.

It was something Godo had considered. But he did not want to speak of it.

"What happened to the SOLDIERs who were with you?" Sephiroth asked.

"We all went in different directions," Godo told him. "Maybe they have found either Yuffie or the monsters doing this."

But that seemed to not be the case. As they neared the center of the palace, many voices screaming and many feet running wafted to their ears. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, looking in that direction. Godo stiffened, straining to make out any words.

"They're not running from the fire," he deduced. "They're chasing someone."

And who that someone was, was suspected by them both. Quickening their pace further, they hastened around a corner. Sephiroth, who was both younger and in the best physical condition, soon took the lead.

And a small form slammed right into him. He reached out, steadying the girl.

"Watch where you're going!" Yuffie snapped, looking up at him.

Sephiroth was unmoved. "Get behind me," he ordered. "Your father is here."

She snorted, placing a hand on her hip. In her other she clutched a shuriken. "No way!" she retorted. "I've got them on the run now. They're coming right over here, and I'm gonna catch them. That's what they'll get for messing with the princess of Wutai!"

"I don't have time for this!" Sephiroth said, anger slipping into his voice. "This is a problem for experienced adults, not children playing foolish games. I'm responsible for your well-being, and the last thing I will allow to have happen is for you to be hurt. Do you have any concept of what these people are like?"

She glowered hatefully. "They're busting my home! That's all I need to know. They've blown up a lot of other places, but the Kisaragis are not going down without a fight."

Sephiroth snatched the child's wrist, gripping it firmly. If she would not obey him, then he would force her to move. Godo was coming up behind him now, and he could take her away. She would not be here while he reckoned with these animals. He did not care if she hated him for it.

_He would not watch a child die as he had witnessed his best friend's demise._

Too much began to happen at once.

Yuffie screamed in frustration, flailing and kicking as she tried to pull away.

Godo began to scold her, reaching to help Sephiroth.

And the rebels were suddenly there.

"Oh, let the girl go," sneered the one in the lead. "The spunky ones are amusing." His face was scarred on one side, apparently from a previous fire, and he was missing two teeth. His dark hair hung in shaggy tufts to his shoulders, and in his callused hands he gripped a semi-automatic gun. This he pointed right at Yuffie's back, and as she twisted to look over her shoulder, she stiffened.

"You want me," Godo said, stepping forward. His voice was cold and hard, his eyes steel. "Leave my daughter out of this."

"Why, when she's going to grow up just like her old man?" The gun clicked. "A SOLDIER lover!"

"I _hate_ SOLDIERs!" Yuffie yelled, trying one last time to wrench free from Sephiroth's grasp. "Especially this one!" She dug into his wrist with one of the points of the shuriken, enough to hurt but not to cause serious damage. She could take them on! She had called Sephiroth to _help_, not to restrain her! How dare he! These creeps were in _her_ country, burning _the Kisaragis' _palace. She should be the one to fight them!

Sephiroth lifted her off the floor, swinging her around to Godo's waiting arms. If she was going to act immature, then she was going to be treated as such. "Get her out of here," he ordered.

Godo nodded, turning to leave amid Yuffie's kicks and screams of protest.

A round of gunfire erupted at their feet.

"I don't think so," growled the rebel leader. "See, everyone's going to stay until we come to some kind of conclusion. Either Emperor Kisaragi evicts the SOLDIERs from Wutai, he'll renounce his title as emperor, or we'll kill everyone. Not much of a choice, is it?"

"I will do nothing of the sort!" Godo retorted, though inwardly fear was beginning to take hold of his heart. To save the country, or to save Yuffie . . . which should he try to do? Wasn't there a way to save everything? Commander Fair would have said so. And now the General was standing in front of him, protecting him and Yuffie from the gunfire. Maybe there would be other unfriendly faces to greet them when they left the palace, but he would take the chance. The General was risking everything for them.

"Get out of here!" Sephiroth snapped. He raised the Masamune, ready to block the gunfire.

And it came, at the same moment he heard Godo begin to run.

"Try to hit them!" yelled one.

"Shoot them down like dogs!" cried another.

"Or like the General's precious Zack Fair," smirked the leader. "Same difference. I wish I could have seen him die . . . the last expression on his face. It would've been so . . . satisfying."

Something inside Sephiroth broke. For days, weeks, he had wanted to catch the terrorists and make them suffer. It was all that they deserved, after what they had done and were doing! He had very nearly let his rage out several moments ago at the marketplace, but he had struggled with all his might to control himself. Then he had come here, finding the palace in flames and Yuffie trying to be a hero. As he was dodging and deflecting bullets, the shooters were talking about killing innocent people, children even, and laughing about it. And now they were bringing Zack into it. They were just like the ones who had killed Zack. They could be those ones, as far as Sephiroth was concerned. His pupils constricted.

With a cry and his sword bared, he lunged. Panic flashed in the leader's eyes for a split-second, as he seemed to realize he had made a mistake. He did not even have time to pull the trigger again before he fell dead.

Others, seeing what had happened, tried to gun Sephiroth down. But their bullets missed as he weaved away, ending one life and then another. His blade slashed, blood splattering in all directions. They were even less than the wild animals and beasts. They had reasoning power and still did not care what they did to accomplish their goals! They slaughtered with relish. Dalton, Rakesh, these men . . . they were all the same! They all deserved death!

As he pulled the Masamune out of the final corpse, the blade glinted. Within its reflection was another monster, the expression twisted with hate, the eyes consumed by the need to kill.

It was himself.

His hands shook. What . . . what had he done? He had killed those who had tried to kill the Kisaragis. But he had not shed their blood to protect the royal family. He had released his anger, his hatred. And now, staring at the torn bodies strewn around him, he did not feel fulfilled. Zack was still dead. And what would he think of this? Sephiroth had betrayed him.

Suddenly his knees were weak. He sank down, his grip on the Masamune loosening.

He felt so empty.

This was the state Godo found him in, when he entered the room a moment later. The fires had mostly been extinguished, and he had left Yuffie outside, with Adviser Aoyama, while he returned to find the General. One look at the scene told him exactly what had happened. And he felt only a great sympathy and pity for the heart-broken man kneeling amidst the slaughter.

Slowly he approached, laying a hand on Sephiroth's arm. He started, whirling to look up at the other.

"Come, my friend," was all that Godo said, his voice quiet. "Staying here will not help you."

Sephiroth began to pull himself up, his movements painstaking and filled with grief. Godo was right, that it would not help. But would anything at all help him, ever again?


	4. I Can't See Your Star

**Notes: Thanks to Kaze and Lisa for plot help!**

**The last part of this chapter is so much Squee.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**I Can't See Your Star**

The damage to the palace was astronomical. Some parts of it were still standing; the library, for instance, had been almost entirely spared. But the ceiling was almost altogether missing, as were many of the walls. By and large, the only thing holding the rest of the building together was the framework, and not all of it was still standing strong, either. It really looked as though it would crumble if it was blown on, and with a bitter Wutaian winter close at hand, something needed to be done as soon as possible. The heavy blizzards would be disastrous.

The royal family did have a home where they could relocate while the cleanup and the repairs were enacted. Godo had seen that they moved to their estate in the mountains. Sephiroth had opted to alternately stay there and down in the city, depending on how the investigation was proceeding. And now there were always going to be SOLDIERs where the Kisaragis were, much to Yuffie's dismay.

Green eyes narrowed as a fallen beam was stepped across. Sephiroth had volunteered to lead the inspection of the palace wreckage, and Godo had agreed, albeit with reluctance.

_"You must find a way to allow yourself to grieve," _he had told the General earlier that day, after they had left the scene of the carnage. _"Your tortured feelings and shattered heart are demanding to be heard, and they are taking any outlet possible. From the Wutaian war, you realize just as I do how rage is a powerful and deadly weapon, and in the end, it is the wielder of this weapon who will be the most drastically harmed."_

Of course Sephiroth knew. He had watched many SOLDIERs, and Wutaians, give in to their grief in many different ways. Often it was by throwing themselves full-force into the ensuing battles. Sometimes they lost themselves, mercilessly killing their opponents. Now he had done the same. The terrorists deserved death. That was something he would never not believe. But to have ended their lives in blind fury was not fitting for one in his position.

He still felt that he had betrayed Zack somehow, with his behavior. Surely his dear friend was disappointed in Sephiroth's actions. He was supposed to be better than to give in to hatred. He was supposed to always be in control. And he was never supposed to be weak! It had been an immense show of weakness, what had happened here---both losing control and his collapse afterwards. It shamed him that the emperor had seen him in such a state.

And he did not even know how to grieve. That was also part of the problem, not just that he would not let himself do it. The thought of letting out all of the pent-up pain and anguish concerned him---even if he was alone, and even if he understood what to do. If he was honest with himself, he was afraid. He did not want to fully immerse himself in the acceptance of Zack's passing. He thought he had accepted it, really, by forcing himself to move on. But now he saw that it had not worked. The wound in his heart had been clumsily wrapped in gauze, and the infection had grown too large to possibly be ignored.

He felt helpless, and hopeless, and the only way he even knew how to deal with it was to keep working. It would drive him mad, to have all these memories flooding his consciousness. He did not want to think about any of them. He wanted to focus on something cold, hard, and familiar---his military training and his current mission. That was all that he had ever truly had to fall back on. People came and people went, sometimes of their own free will and sometimes without being able to help it, but his work always remained. If he did not have that, there would be nothing left for him.

He pushed aside another beam, slumping into the half-charred chair the wood had been propped against. It would take hours to go through everything. And so far they had not found anything the slightest bit useful. The terrorists' bodies were all being examined, but as usual, they did not seem to be carrying anything conclusive. One more way to drive their enemies mad.

The guns were their best bet. If they could find out who had manufactured them and passed them out, maybe a good deal of the mystery would be solved right there. On the other hand, it might only lead to another dead end. He was getting used to them by now, but that did not make them any less exasperating.

Would there be a way to trace anything from the explosive device itself, if one was used? He had originally believed, as did most at the palace, that someone had simply set fire to several locations. But the more the wreckage was explored, the more it looked as though something had been detonated. It also appeared that fireballs had shot from the device, attaching to walls and setting them ablaze. From there, it had quickly spread. So far no parts had been recovered from such an invention. But if any had survived, who knew how many layers of debris they could be buried underneath.

And, if the fire had been started from deep within the palace instead of from the outside walls, did that mean that there was another traitor in their midst? The possibility seemed high.

He needed to speak with someone in the Underground about what had taken place. The idea that the rebels knew that they had been infiltrated was sounding more and more likely. And that could mean that everyone against them would be in danger. He did not like having civilians doing military work. But if all of them abruptly left the camps, that could make matters even worse. They would be suspected for certain.

He massaged the bridge of his nose with the fingers on his left hand.

What was he doing, sitting in that chair? It was not very sturdy, after what it had come through. With his luck, it would divide under his weight and send him right into all the splinters, plaster, and ash below. And he needed to get up to resume the search. But his body did not seem to understand what his mind was ordering it to do. It had been such a long day . . . such long weeks. . . .

_"Seph!"_ Zack would tell him. _"You've gotta slow down, take time to enjoy the world! The sky, the trees, the animals, all of it!"_ And he would spread his arms wide, grinning from the sheer joy of it all.

Sephiroth would cross his arms, looking back in amusement. _"I'm not an animal person,"_ he would say, his tone flat.

Zack would look mournful._"Aww, come on, Seph,"_ he would plead.

And Sephiroth would relent, just for Zack's sake, and pet a cat, or throw a stick for a dog, or whatever Zack would get him to do. Once Zack had succeeded in getting him to feed Pala, his chocobo.

He leaned back in the chair, staring up at the sky. Zack would not want him to be so shattered. Zack would want him to be able to mourn and then to move on without being overcome by sorrow. But how would that even be possible, when his heart broke all over again whenever he remembered what they had shared? It was so much easier to lock it all away.

_"That method will not always work for you, General,"_ Emperor Kisaragi had said, his voice quiet but stern. _"There will come a time when all of your defenses will crumble for good, and then you will have to decide what to do with yourself and where to go from there."_

Sephiroth had listened, but he had mostly been angry. His first inclination had been to snap and ask why Godo would think he knew what to tell him. But he had held his tongue, mostly out of respect. The emperor had lost his wife not many years before. He did know what it was like, to suddenly be left without a loved one. Nothing tangible had taken her away from him, however. He would never know the horror of seeing her killed in an instant, when she had been just fine a moment before. He would have had time to adjust, as her illness had grown worse.

Godo had a child, someone for whom he had needed to be strong, even if he had not known how to manage it. That was certainly a reality not foreign to Sephiroth. When he pressed on, straining to be the rock, it was not only for himself, but for the men he commanded. If they ever saw him lose control or break down (Heaven forbid), what would that do to their morale? They might feel that if their General had lost all hope, then there was not any point in any of them having any, either.

And even if hope had abandoned him, there was no reason why it should do the same to everyone else. The other men had families, friends, other loved ones. They should not falter.

Sephiroth had allies. Both the emperor and Jono Houoji had called him "friend", but neither were people he would feel comfortable opening up to. They were persons with whom to discuss the matters at hand---the problems of Wutai, not the problems of his soul. But he was grateful for them. If everyone in Wutai was hostile, it would be almost impossible to get anything done.

Not that it was not near-impossible already.

Sephiroth passed a gloved hand over his eyes. The twilight was fading, and stars were becoming visible. He did not want to look at stars.

But it was not conceivable that he would not see them anyway. Even if he did not deliberately look up, they were all around him. Their reflection could be seen bouncing off the twisted metal in the wreckage. If he stood and moved forward, more could be seen straight ahead. And he could just _feel_ that they were there.

He began to push himself out of the chair. He needed to get back to work. If any of the other SOLDIERs came and found him taking an unannounced break, well . . . that would not be pleasing for his occupation or his pride. He was just so _tired_, both physically and emotionally.

He took a step forward, then another. It did not grow easier, per se, but it felt much better to know that he was getting back to what should be done, and not necessarily what he might like to have done. Even though a rest sounded so nice.

_"Seph! You're gonna have a collapse!"_

He looked up with a start. No, Zack was not there, even in spirit form. But he had been so sure that he had heard the other. He could picture Zack watching him, his hands on his hips and his expression disapproving and worried. It was just a ghost, a shadow of a memory. Zack had given him such a look many a time. And one of their very first experiences together had been when he had come down ill with the flu after overworking himself.

He did not want to remember that! Why were memories coming back at every turn? The more he was trying to push them away, the more they pushed back, as it were. They did not want to be forgotten or locked up. Or maybe Zack did not want that.

_"Aww, buddy . . . it's okay! You know that?"_ A pause. _"No . . . you really don't, do you? But grieving's not a bad thing. You have to mourn for the ones who go on. You have to let it all out. Scream, cry . . . no, you'd never cry, would you?"_

Of course he would not. He had cried once or twice, after being experimented on as a very small child, but Gast had mentioned how he wanted to see the boy grow up strong. And Sephiroth had vowed to never shed a tear again. He wanted to prove that he was stronger than the scientists even had thought. He wanted to prove it to them, to everyone else, to himself. . . .

_"Seph . . . you know you did something wrong back there, when you lost it and started killing them out of hate. But I'm not gonna judge you for it. You're just hurting so bad, and I'm hurting because I can't do anything for you!"_

He clenched a fist. That was not true. That could never be true. Zack had done, and had given him, everything---all that he could ever want or need. Zack had passed on his gift of laughter, his love of life, and he had given freely of himself and his time. He had wanted to be with Sephiroth. He had wanted to get close to the stoic and immovable General. He had seen something in Sephiroth that he had decided made the other worth knowing.

_"Seph, you were happy then, weren't you?"_

Happy was not a word he thought he would ever use to describe himself. But Zack knew that he had been . . . didn't he? Sephiroth had never really said so in so many words, but his actions had surely said so. Zack had released so many parts of Sephiroth's soul.

_"Then . . . just don't forget how you felt. Don't forget what you learned. Pass it on! I know it probably sounds cheesy, but . . . I'll be kept alive that way, Seph. And you know I'll never really be gone. Can't just leave my best buddy high and dry, now, can I?"_

No . . . Zack never could.

Sephiroth smiled a bit---a wistful sad smile, or maybe a smirk. This might only be in his mind, but it was what Zack would say. He knew that.

"I don't know how," he murmured. A frown graced his features as the realization came that he had spoken aloud.

_"I'll help you!"_

Of course Zack would.

A glint from a shiny surface made Sephiroth pause. He frowned, looking to the ground at his feet. A strange piece of material was laying amid the embers, twisted and harmless. Bending down, he reached and lifted it, holding it to the light from the stars. It did not look like part of anything that should have been in the palace. This could have been part of the explosive device. And if so, there might be chemical traces upon it. He slipped it into a plastic bag. He would have it tested.

Would there be anyone in the city, whom the emperor trusted, who was knowledgeable and had the resources? To have it tested by SOLDIER, Sephiroth would need to send it to the nearest laboratory. And that might take too long. That attack on one of Wutai's holy locations would happen in only two more days. If this was part of the explosive device, then they needed to know what had been used and how it worked. What had happened to the palace could not be allowed to take place again.

The sound of a beam splitting further brought him to attention. A Second Class SOLDIER several yards away had just stepped on it by accident.

"SOLDIER!" Sephiroth called, his tone stern.

The younger man froze, wondering if the General would be angry for the misstep. "Sir?"

"Come over here."

The Second Class SOLDIER picked his way to the General with care, managing to make it over without stepping on anything else noisy.

"Have you or anyone else found pieces such as this?" Sephiroth held up the plastic bag.

The boy trained his flashlight on the object inside. "No, sir," he said, confused. "What is it?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth admitted. "It might be part of an explosive device. I need to have it tested."

"Do you want me to send it to our nearest laboratory, sir?" The SOLDIER peered at the strange material in the bag, morbidly fascinated. It did not look like anything he had before seen in connection with explosives. If it was such a thing, was it some new invention created by the terrorists or someone with them?

"I may," Sephiroth answered, "if I can't find someone right here in town." He took out his cell phone. "I'm going to speak to the emperor about it. You're excused."

"Yes, sir!" The Second Class SOLDIER turned, following his trail back to where he had been searching.

Sephiroth dialed with his thumb the phone number he had been given and placed the receiver to his ear. As it rang, he walked further into the area he had not yet investigated. There did not seem to be anything else unusual, only broken glass and the remnants of a tapestry.

At last one of the housekeepers picked up the other end of the line. "Yes?" she said, her voice understandably hesitant and concerned. Not many people were supposed to have that number, and any calls that were coming through were not good news.

"This is General Sephiroth. I need to speak with the emperor." He stopped again, at the top of a hill of debris.

"He's eating dinner, sir," the woman answered, still hesitant. She did not want to anger the SOLDIER General, yet she did not want to disturb her master, either. It had already been such a long and stressful day.

"He'll want to talk to me."

"Y-yes, sir." The receiver was set on the table as she hurried off.

Sephiroth waited. This had better not take a long time. His patience was already wearing thin, yet at the same time he felt much too tired to lose his temper, even if he was pushed that far again.

A click. "What have you found, General?"

Good. The emperor wanted to immediately focus on the problem at hand. Sephiroth began to describe the odd material while Godo listened.

"Do you know of anything that was in the palace that this could be the remnant of?" he asked.

"I can't think of anything that would resemble it," Emperor Kisaragi said. "Your guess concerning its origins may be correct."

"I need to have it tested right away," Sephiroth said. "Do you know of someone in the city whom you trust? If not, I'll send it to a Shinra laboratory."

There was a pause. "It's possible that Mr. Mamoru Moto could help us," Godo mused. "He had quite a prestigeous position at the research laboratory in the city for years. He was discharged shortly after you and Commander Fair departed several months ago."

"Why was he discharged?" Sephiroth frowned.

The emperor sighed. "For helping the SOLDIERs," he said. "The owners of the laboratory despise SOLDIERs."

Sephiroth grunted. "Does he feel bitter because of that?"

"I do not know," Godo answered. "It is possible."

"Where does he live?" Sephiroth placed the plastic bag in his coat pocket, removing a pen and paper. As the emperor located and recited the address, Sephiroth jotted it down in his precise handwriting.

"I'll go there now," he said.

Farewells were exchanged before the conversation ended. Sephiroth closed the phone, slipping it into his pocket. The same Second Class SOLDIER was still picking through debris nearby. Sephiroth walked over to him.

"SOLDIER, I'm going to have this tested," he said. "I'm leaving you in charge. Call me if you find anything else."

"Yes, sir!" the other nodded, bringing his hand up in a salute.

Sephiroth returned the gesture before walking to the staircase.

* * *

Mamoru Moto's home turned out to be in a part of the city Sephiroth had never visited. It would have been out of his way to have ever gone past the abode, which was one of the most well-to-do homes he had seen in Wutai. It was near the river, which eventually traveled far enough to open into the ocean. A water wheel turned lazily in the front yard. The grass and flowers were well-tended, and lights were still burning in several of the rooms. It was quite a difference from the chaos Sephiroth had seen both in Midgar and in Wutai.

He went up the walk to the porch, knocking firmly on the door. After a moment it was opened a cautious crack by what seemed to be a woman.

"I'm looking for a Mister Mamoru Moto," Sephiroth said, his voice businesslike. "Does he live here?"

A nervous nod. "Y-yes, he does. I'm his wife. Who may I say is calling?"

"General Sephiroth of SOLDIER." Sephiroth looked her in the eyes. "I need him to examine something for me."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. With one hand, she continued to grip the edge of the door. The other was hidden from view, possibly resting against the wall.

Sephiroth frowned. What was it that he had said that was so strange? It was not his request; she seemed to have barely paid attention to that. Her odd look had come as soon as he had given his name.

"Is something wrong?" he asked sternly.

She started, as if coming out of a reverie. "Oh! No," she said. She stepped back, opening the door wider. "Please, come in. I'll call my husband."

Sephiroth nodded, stepping through the doorway and onto the woven mat just inside the door. The room was modestly, yet nicely furnished, with a couch, a plush chair, and two small tables for lamps. There was a door directly across from him, opening into the kitchen, and another at the end of the room to his right. That one was closed, but there was a strip of light shining from underneath.

Mrs. Moto walked to the doorway into the kitchen and leaned to the left. "Dear?" she called. "The SOLDIER General is here." Her voice was a mixture of several emotions---confusion, apprehension, and . . . was it suspicion? She seemed to not want to leave Sephiroth alone in the room while she went to find Mr. Moto.

There was an awkward pause. Then a bewildered voice called back, "Why?"

"He says . . ." She glanced back at Sephiroth, as if for confirmation. She did not take her gaze away as she continued to speak to her husband. "He needs you to look at something for him. . . ."

Instead of answering, footsteps could be heard shuffling in the next room over. Then Mr. Moto appeared in the doorway, a short, intelligent man with spectacles and modern dress clothes without a tie or a jacket. He also stared at Sephiroth, more in amazement than anything else, and walked over, proffering his hand.

"Welcome, General," he said. "What is it I can do for you?"

Sephiroth shook his hand firmly. "Your work was recommended by the emperor," he said, not pausing to see if that would stun the man. "You may have heard that there was a fire at the palace today."

Mr. Moto's expression turned grave. "Yes," he said. "That must have been terrible. Is everyone safe?"

A curt nod. "The fire was deliberately started," Sephiroth said. "This was found at the scene." He pulled out the plastic bag. "It may be part of a new explosives device the terrorists invented. Do you have the resources to find out what it is and how it works?" His voice remained stern. "I need the answers immediately, tonight if possible, and no later than tomorrow."

Mr. Moto accepted the parcel, holding it up to the light. "I can study it, General," he said, his own voice apologetic, "but I can't guarantee I'll have the results in that amount of time."

"See what you can do," Sephiroth returned.

Mr. Moto nodded. "If you would care to wait, I could work on it right now, General . . . ?"

"Sephiroth," said Sephiroth.

Now Mr. Moto stared at him.

"What is this?" Sephiroth demanded, annoyed by this point. "Is there something particularly strange about my name?"

The man and the woman exchanged a look. Then both turned their gazes to him. The woman shifted.

"No, General," Mr. Moto said. "You'll probably find the explanation off the wall, but . . . by any chance has anyone ever called you 'Seph'?"

Sephiroth stiffened. How . . . how could they know? How could they _possibly_know?! Only one person had ever bestowed that ridiculous nickname.

"Why are you asking?" he queried, his tone clipped.

Mrs. Moto stepped forward. "Several weeks ago," she said slowly, "my husband found a body washed up at the edge of our property, still half in the river. A boy, no older than eighteen, seriously burned and bloodied. His clothes were rags."

The color drained from Sephiroth's face. No . . . no, that was impossible! It was_impossible. . . ._

"I brought him here," Mr. Moto said, "and we cared for him. My wife used to be a nurse. . . . He was delirious for some time, calling off and on for his parents . . . and someone named 'Seph.'"

"We realized he must be a SOLDIER," his wife said. "He had that belt, the same one you . . ."

"What happened to him?!" Sephiroth interrupted. "What did you do with him?" His voice was beginning to rise. That was a rare occurrence for him, but he could not care less. What was going _on?_ Had he been thrown into some bizarre and cruel fantasy, such as when he had "conversed" with Zack at the wreckage of the palace? This could not be real. It could not be.

"He's still here," Mr. Moto said nervously. "That is his room, actually. . . ." He pointed to the closed door. "He doesn't remember a thing, not even his name. He only knows that this 'Seph' is very important to him. . . ."

Sephiroth could never explain why he did what he did next. His emotions suddenly spilled over, his patience and will-power cracking and snapping into trillions of fragments. What sort of heartless joke was this? Zack was . . . Zack was _alive_, and these people had never bothered to contact anyone about him? They had let everyone consider Zack dead for these endless, Hellish weeks?

He seized Mr. Moto by the shoulders, shoving him against the wall. _"Why didn't you contact SOLDIER?!"_ he screamed, as Mrs. Moto cried out in alarm. _"Why didn't you let anyone know?!"_

Mrs. Moto stuttered for words. "He . . . he was so badly injured," she choked out. "He wouldn't have been able to be moved. . . . And with complete amnesia. . . . We thought . . . we thought . . ."

_"You thought what?!"_ Sephiroth demanded. _"This man has been thought dead!"_ He shook the trembling scientist in his grasp, his eyes fiery, piercing daggers._"Do you know how many people have been heart-broken over his 'passing'?"_

And then a new voice joined them.

"Hey, hey! I wouldn't be alive at all without them. Isn't that the most important thing?"

Sephiroth's heart leaped into his throat. No . . . the voice he had known he would never hear again. . . . He could not be hearing it now. . . . He could not. . . .

He turned, releasing the hapless Mr. Moto from his grasp. In the doorway of the once-closed room, a tall, muscular young man was leaning on the doorframe. Bandages were still around his right arm, and from the way he was leaning, either his leg or his back were also damaged, or both. More gauze was on his face, wrapping around his forehead and covering his left eye. A shock of raven hair spilled over the bandage.

As he stared at Sephiroth now, his visible lavender eye widened. Something flickered within the orb. The boy's skin was paling. Instead of the upset, almost angry visage he had just borne, now his expression was turning to awe.

"Seph," he breathed. He shook his head. "I don't remember anything about you, so this is crazy . . . but I just know you're Seph."

This was too much to process. Sephiroth began to walk forward. Zack started to move as well, walking with a vague limp. Would this be taken away when he got close enough, a cruel mirage brought on by the stress and the hard day? The Motos would think he was a fool. . . .

_The Motos. . . . They were still there, watching._ And Zack was right . . . they had taken care of him all this time. What if he had instead met some of the people who had rejected Sephiroth? Zack would have died for certain. But he . . . he looked to be alive, he _was_ alive, if Sephiroth was not hallucinating. Sephiroth owed the Motos everything.

The two stopped, each peering at the other with so many mixed emotions---amazement, awe, disbelief, wonder. . . .

"I feel like I wanna hug you or something," Zack said at last. "But that's nuts too, isn't it?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No," he said. "Not at all." Zack's glomps had always taken him by surprise in the past, and he had usually been annoyed, or at least startled. Now he would welcome it whole-heartedly. Zack looked so real . . . and sounded real. . . . After so many weeks of being a phantom in Sephiroth's thoughts and nightmares. . . .

"I feel funny hugging someone I don't even remember," Zack commented, shifting in embarrassment.

"You don't have to." But Sephiroth reached out, gripping the other's shoulder. _Flesh and bone. . . . He was touching a real person, not an illusion._

"You're alive," he managed to say. He was overcome.


	5. Catch a Falling Star

**Notes: Thanks to Kaze and Lisa for plot help!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Catch a Falling Star**

It took a good moment for Sephiroth to fully bring himself back to the reality of what was happening. Zack was still standing in front of him, curious and awkward. The Motos were still observing, but had not moved from where they were. They seemed to sense that this was a private reunion.

There was so much Sephiroth wanted to say, to ask . . . but not here, in the living room.

He turned back, facing the couple. "My conduct a moment earlier was inappropriate," he said. "I'm sorry." Though he hardly ever apologized for anything he did, and found the taste bitter when he did, it could not be avoided this time. He felt shamed for what he had said and done.

Mr. Moto shook his head. "No, General," he said. "You had a perfect right to be angry." The heartbreak and agony in Sephiroth's eyes and actions had been all too clear, especially after he had reacted to Zack's entrance. He had not been able to bear losing that young SOLDIER. And for him to yet be remembered in the boy's heart, they must be very close indeed.

"We're happy that he's finally found that dear friend of his," Mrs. Moto smiled.

"Why don't the two of you talk while I examine this device?" Mr. Moto suggested, holding it up.

Zack nodded. "Yeah!" he chimed in. "We could hang out in my room." He gestured to the open door behind him.

Sephiroth nodded as well. "Let me know what you find out," he said.

"Of course," said Mr. Moto, watching as Zack turned, leading Seph across the room and through the doorway.

"Are you sure he'll be safe?" Mrs. Moto wondered, her voice filled with the misgivings she had tried to hide. After they had looked after Zack for so long, she felt a definite motherly instinct towards him. And he had already been through so much. She never wanted to see anything else happen to hurt him. After Sephiroth's outburst, she was concerned, whether she wanted to fully acknowledge it or not.

"He will be completely safe," Mr. Moto said, his voice firm and reassuring. "The General would rather die than harm him. Couldn't you see it in his eyes?"

She gave a hesitant nod. "Yes . . ."

"Then come." He placed a hand on her back, leading her away.

* * *

Zack let the door shut behind them, when they were inside. "Just sit anywhere," he said, plopping on the edge of the bed. 

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. It was surprising, to see a bed instead of a futon. The room as a whole was well-furnished, as was the rest of the home, and there were obvious influences from the other continents. A table lamp was on a nightstand by the bed, and an unfinished book was on top of the covers. Across the room was a bookcase, next to which was a chair under a window. Sephiroth took the seat, leaning forward as he studied Zack and his somewhat pained movements.

"How badly are you hurt?" he asked. For Zack to have survived, it seemed that he would have had to have either been thrown over the cliff by the force of the fire, or that he deliberately jumped. And after Sephiroth's own injuries from the previous fire, he could imagine the intense agony Zack had endured, and was still suffering.

Zack shrugged. "Oh . . . could be worse," he said, with typical cheerfulness. "Back's pretty banged up. And my arms. Left leg isn't too great either, but it's better than it was. Couldn't walk on it at all till a few days ago."

"What happened to your eye?" Sephiroth frowned. Had it been seriously, even permanently, damaged? Zack would not be able to stay in SOLDIER with only one good eye. And even if it would heal, he would need to be granted an extended leave, once it was sorted out that he was alive. With all the possible red tape, that could take a while. And Sephiroth wanted to return the kindness Zack had shown to him, caring for him until he was well.

Zack reached up, feeling the bandage. "Skin around it got kinda torched," he said. "But the last time I looked at it, the red was almost all gone. Eye's still kinda sensitive to light, though. That's the main reason for this." He grinned. "I'll be good as new in no time!"

A vague smile crossed Sephiroth's features. Zack's pure personality could never be destroyed.

"How'd you end up here, anyway?" Zack asked. "I mean, if you had no clue about me being here."

"A coincidence," Sephiroth grunted. "I needed Mr. Moto's scientific expertise to help catch the terrorists in Wutai."

Zack leaned back, considering this. Then he shook his head. "Nope," he proclaimed.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'No'?"

Zack grinned. "Couldn't have been a coincidence." He sobered. "The Motos didn't want to contact SOLDIER or anything, but I wanted to. I figured there must be people worried about me." He gave a helpless shrug. "I just . . . didn't know what to do, without remembering my name or anything. Didn't know a number to call, either. I was planning to walk around Wutai and try to find some SOLDIERs, when I could walk."

Sephiroth shook his head. "That wouldn't have been a good idea," he said. "You would have still been weakened, and the rebels who despise SOLDIERs would have taken advantage of it, if they had the chance."

And there was the question of where Zack would be the safest now. If somehow Sephiroth had been followed, or at least if his location was known, then a civilian home would be the worst place for Zack to stay. It would be dangerous for the Motos as well. And Sephiroth had to admit, he did not want to leave here without Zack. He would be able to protect Zack much better than someone else, and there would be other SOLDIERs at the emperor's retreat, too.

_You weren't able to save him before._

He pushed the thought away. There had been a battle, and he had not been able to break away. It would be different now. And Zack would be recovered hopefully soon, as he had predicted.

"Hey . . . what's the deal with those rebels, anyway?"

Sephiroth snapped back to the present. Zack was blinking at him, confusion written on his features.

"I mean . . . why do they hate SOLDIERs so much? Did SOLDIERs do some rotten things to the Wutaian people?"

Sephiroth sighed. "There isn't an easy answer," he said. "Yes, there have been atrocities on both sides. But the SOLDIERs, for the most part, would never deliberately slaughter the innocent to achieve their goals. They try to make sure there's as few sacrifices as possible. The_terrorists_ . . ." He spit out the word. "They don't care who dies, or how many." He looked firmly into Zack's visible eye. "They're the ones responsible for nearly killing you."

Zack swallowed hard. The bitterness and hatred in Seph's eyes was obvious. As Seph looked at Zack, one of the predominant thoughts going through his head was that it was their fault Zack had been so burned and wounded. He abhorred them almost more than he could bear. But at the same time he did not want to lose control. He was afraid of it.

". . . You killed some of them, didn't you, Seph?" Zack spoke at last.

Zack would have determined it easily, with his memories. It should not really be a surprise that he was still the same way. Sephiroth gave a slow nod. "I did," he admitted. "Partially to protect others, but mostly out of hatred and rage."

Zack gave a sad smile. "If I thought they'd killed someone I loved, I might do that, too," he said. "I mean . . . I don't really remember what I was like, or what I would've done . . . but who wouldn't feel that way towards creeps like that?"

"A General should have more self-control," Sephiroth said. It was odd, how Zack was even trying to offer comfort now. He did not seem to feel betrayed, or disappointed, but he might still feel let down once his memory was restored. On the other hand, maybe he would not. Zack had always been such an understanding person.

"A General is still human, right?"

Zack's simple, yet earnest answer gave Sephiroth pause. Yes, he was still human, no matter how much he tried to be something more. That did not mean he would excuse himself, however.

Sensing that the subject should be changed, Zack leaned forward. "Hey, what's your full name anyway?" he asked.

A pang stabbed Sephiroth's heart at the question. Strange, how he had not even entirely processed the fact that Zack had amnesia until now. Zack did not remember Sephiroth's full name, just that silly nickname he had picked. He did not recall any of the times they had spent together. He probably did not remember Cloud, or any of the SOLDIERs who looked up to him. Yet he somehow knew of his and Sephiroth's bond. It was all at once overwhelming. And Sephiroth would help him until he remembered everything.

"Sephiroth," he said.

"And you like being called 'Seph'?" Zack blinked. "You don't really seem like a nickname-kinda guy."

"I like it when you say it," Sephiroth said in truth.

Zack recognized that Seph's tone meant that Zack, and only Zack, had been granted that privilege. He grinned again, then suddenly looked sheepish.

"What's my name?" he wondered. "It's been driving me nuts, all these weeks not knowing what to call myself. The Motos have been calling me 'Alan', and I guess that's not so bad, but . . ." He shrugged helplessly. "It doesn't feel like my name."

"It isn't. Your name is Zack Fair," Sephiroth answered.

"Zack Fair . . ." Zack leaned back, his expression turning thoughtful. "Not Zachary?"

"Just Zack," Sephiroth confirmed. "You told me that your parents thought you looked like a Zack more than a Zachary. Though they had also considered Zachariah." He had idly wondered about it, upon seeing Zack's name in his records. He had assumed previous to that, that "Zack" was only a nickname. But Zack had assured him that it was not.

"It fits!" Zack proclaimed.

Sephiroth was amused.

"What's your last name?" Zack queried now.

Sephiroth gave a grim, self-depreciating smirk. "I have no idea."

"You don't know who your father is?" Zack was surprised.

"Something like that." Sephiroth had suspicions, but nothing that could be proven. Off and on he had wondered if his father was one of the scientists who had raised him. If not that, then his father might have abandoned him, leaving him with the scientists after Sephiroth's mother had died. In any case, he had not wanted to take upon himself any of the scientists' names. He preferred to just remain Sephiroth.

Zack contemplated this for only a moment. "You should be Sephiroth Fair," he decided. "I'll adopt you as a brother!"

Sephiroth stared at the sincere boy. Zack had said something similar to him in the past, when they had discussed families. Sephiroth had mused on the concept, both touched and surprised by his friend's offer. It seemed so long ago now, before they had ever dealt with Wutaian terrorists or gotten involved with fire. . . .

A slow smile came over his features. "You already have," he said.

Zack grinned.

A knock on the door brought them to attention. "Yeah?" Zack called.

The door opened as Mr. Moto peered in, his expression filled with concern. "General," he began, and hesitated. Would Sephiroth want him to speak here? Should Zack know at all what was happening? He would undoubtedly want to be involved, if he found out, and he was absolutely not well enough. But maybe the General would be able to reason with him where the Motos could not. It was almost impossible to quell the fighting spirit of a SOLDIER; at least, this SOLDIER.

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked. Whatever had been found, it could be told in front of Zack. Especially now, when Zack remembered so little, Sephiroth did not want it to be obvious if secrets were being kept from him. Having Zack's trust was crucial, for Sephiroth's well-being as much as Zack's. If Zack had been suspicious of Sephiroth, or had possessed some other form of non-acceptance, Sephiroth did not know if he could have borne it. And if Zack did not trust him, it could be disastrous for them both---if, as one example, the rebels learned of the problem.

Mr. Moto stepped just inside the doorway. "I'm still examining the substance, but it almost seems that the bomb was made using some kind of materia," he said, still with hesitation. "If this is so, such a device would be very unstable."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. He had never heard of such a thing. Someone among the terrorists would have to be a skilled physicist to craft an explosive device utilizing materia. A bomb of such a nature would be outrageously powerful and devastating. If they were planning to use one on the sacred site, there was no telling what calamity would happen. The entire structure could come down, right on top of the houses below it.

A stunned exclamation left Zack's lips. "That's crazy!" he gasped. "What kind of people would do something like that?!"

"Only madmen," Sephiroth growled.

"I'll say!" Zack cried in indignation. "Boy, I'd like to tell them a thing or two."

Alarm slammed into Sephiroth's heart. Zack would do it, too, if he had the chance. And in his condition . . . "No!" he burst out, fixing Zack with a stern look.

Zack started, looking over at him. "I don't mean now, Seph," he tried to reassure his friend. "Not when I'm laid up like this."

Sephiroth leaned back, rubbing at the edges of his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. Zack had better not mean it. Sephiroth would do everything in his power to keep Zack safe until he was healed. And that would include avoiding all meetings with terrorists.

"I will keep running tests, General," Mr. Moto said, though he looked doubtful.

Zack frowned. "Hey, is there any chance that something could go wrong right here in the house if you keep on with it?" he asked.

"A very small chance," Mr. Moto hastened to assure him.

"But big enough that you're worried," Sephiroth deduced.

"Materia used in this way will be so unpredictable," Mr. Moto said slowly, "and even though it's only traces . . ."

"Do you have any other place to test it?" Sephiroth interrupted.

Mr. Moto sighed. "Not that long ago, there would have been my lab at the research facilities," he said. "But not anymore."

"Since there are only traces, is there a very high percentage of the house igniting?" Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest. His tone was somewhat dry, reflecting his feelings that there would not be a lot of danger under the circumstances. Yet he certainly did not want to take any foolish chances.

"I don't believe so, General," Mr. Moto said, still in a careful and cautious voice. "But science is often strange."

"Do what you can," Sephiroth said, "but don't take any unnecessary risks."

Mr. Moto nodded. "Yes, General." With that he turned, leaving the room again and shutting the door to give them privacy.

Sephiroth looked back to Zack. "When I leave here tonight, I need to take you with me," he said. "Are you comfortable with that?" It was hard to know for certain what Zack would think. Even though he felt very relaxed around Sephiroth, they were still in surroundings that were familiar to him, with people he knew. If they tried to leave, he might get understandably nervous.

Zack leaned back, an expression of thoughtfulness coming over his face. He did not seem particularly surprised by the idea, which was good. Then he looked to Sephiroth again. "Where would we go?" he asked.

"To where the emperor is currently staying," Sephiroth answered. "Up in the mountains."

Zack thought for another moment, then grinned. "Lead the way!" he chirped.

Sephiroth allowed himself to smile a bit more.

* * *

Mr. Moto had said that he would work all night with the device. So far, it had not yielded any further information. And Mrs. Moto had said that it was already so late and Sephiroth might as well stay the night. A cot could be set up in Zack's room for him. And after thinking it over, he had agreed. If the terrorists were spying, maybe they would attack the Motos even if the SOLDIERs departed, because they would not want their invention to be studied. 

He had debated whether or not to call ahead to the palace and report what had happened, but there really was not a good way to say that the dead was alive. Even though it would be more shocking, Sephiroth felt that the best solution would be to simply go there the next day.

The Motos were reluctant to see Zack go, and he felt bad to leave them, but all agreed it would be the best. Being around someone Zack was so close to might help restore his memories faster. And there was the aforementioned problem of the terrorists spying, too. When Sephiroth left, he did not want to endanger civilians, and especially not Zack again.

Zack yawned, snuggling into the mattress once they were both ready to attempt sleep. "Man, what a day," he exclaimed. "Part of me doesn't want to try sleeping at all. I'd rather sit up and talk with you more. Another part doesn't know how to keep my eyes open. You wouldn't believe how much walking around the house has been wearing me out!"

"I could believe it," Sephiroth grunted, bringing the pillow closer to him. It had been agonizing enough for him to attempt it, when it had been his back that had been injured. Zack was having trouble with his leg, as well. And if Sephiroth had ended up entirely exhausted the first few times he had tried walking a short distance, it was not a wonder that Zack must be so very much more ready to drop.

"Don't try to stay awake," he said. "You need the sleep."

And so did he, when he thought about it. He was exhausted. He had not slept well since Zack's apparent demise. And this had been such a long and stressful and taxing day. It felt more like a year, or several years, all things combined. There were still things to worry about. Keeping Zack safe was at the top of his list. And preventing the attack on the sacred location. But right now, two factors were greater than all of his concerns. Zack was alive. And he was dozing even as he was thinking about it.

"You need to sleep too, pal," he heard Zack say somewhere outside of his mind.

He felt the covers being pulled up around him as he sank into another world.

He did not know how long he slept, but it was a wonderful experience. The nightmares did not come. Instead he slumbered dreamlessly for the most part, only envisioning something towards the last. Something about he and Zack having returned to Midgar, and Angeal being happy that they had been reunited. . . . Then someone cried out in the far distance. . . .

And suddenly he was awake, staring up at the ceiling. What had woke him up? The room was in darkness, save a dim nightlight, but he could make out Zack's form on the bed above him. Had Zack screamed? Yes . . . Zack was awake. His breathing was much too labored for him to still be asleep.

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth demanded, pulling himself into a sitting position.

Zack shook his head. "Same old dream," he mumbled. "I've been having it off and on ever since I ended up here."

Sephiroth frowned. "Do you want to talk about it?" Zack was rarely plagued by nightmares. For him to have one now, it must be of a serious nature.

Slowly Zack sat up, running a hand through his hair. "I can't explain it, really," he said. "There's always a lot of fire. It's coming at me from everywhere, and I know I have to get away from it. So I run, but it's not good enough. It's already catching up to me. I can feel it burning the shirt off my back . . . lapping at my skin. . . ." He shuddered. "And then I'm diving off the edge of the cliff, or falling off, probably. The fire's still burning me and I know I can't make it stop. I know I'm gonna die." He paused. "It always ends before I hit the water at the bottom."

Sephiroth's heart twisted taut. Zack remembered what had happened to him. Subconsciously he remembered.

"This time, you were there, too," Zack continued. "You were watching me, screaming for me, but you couldn't do anything." He shook his head. "All the other times, I knew someone was there, someone who couldn't bear to see me die, but I didn't know who."

Sephiroth caught hold of the quilt, gripping fast. "That is what happened," he said, his voice strained. "But I never knew you went over the cliff. I . . . I thought you were burned to death, like the ones who tried to kill you. I . . . I stood and watched, unable to do anything for you. It happened so quick. . . ."

Zack stared at his friend. The glow from the nightlight hit upon Sephiroth's face in an eerie way, clearly displaying his anguish.

"So that's why you flipped out when you found out the Motos hadn't let anyone know about me," Zack breathed. "Oh Seph . . . I had no idea. I can't imagine what you must've been through."

Sephiroth shook his head. He did not want to talk about it.

"You're alive and safe," he said. "That's all that matters."

"Yeah . . ." Zack frowned. "But I feel awful. You've been thinking I was dead all these weeks. . . . And what about my family? Are my parents still alive?" He had wanted to ask for some time, but after the discovery of the materia in the substance Seph had brought, there had not seemed to be a good point in which to bring the conversation to such a topic. And then they had both gotten so tired. If they had not both fallen asleep, he would have inquired then.

"They are." Sephiroth leaned back. "We'll have to call them tomorrow. Or I will, if you don't feel comfortable with it." Undoubtedly it would be awkward to talk to someone without remembering them, especially if it was only over the telephone. The whole situation would be uncomfortable on the phone, but they would not be able to pick up and go to Gongaga the same way they could the palace. Besides, Zack abruptly appearing on the doorstep might be too much of a shock for his parents.

Zack looked over, surprise and hope flickering in his eyes. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." It would be awkward for Sephiroth as well, but he was willing.

Zack smiled. "You're a great friend."

Sephiroth grunted. It was not necessarily how he would describe himself, but he was honored that Zack had always esteemed him as such.

Zack hesitated, biting his lip. "I should probably be the one to call. But wow, that's gonna be awful," he said. "They'll be so happy that I'm alive, and then for me to go, 'Mom, Dad, I'm really sorry, but I don't remember you' . . ."

Sephiroth shook his head. "If they're anything like you, they'll be certain that you'll get your memory back," he said.

"Yeah, but still . . ." Zack sighed.

"If you want, I could let them know about your condition before you talk to them. It might be easier for them to grasp it that way instead of the scenario you came up with."

Sephiroth could certainly envision that it would be even worse of a blow if Zack himself had to tell them. If he had not realized that Zack had amnesia before speaking to him, he would have been devastated. Not that he was not, anyway, but at least he had had a warning.

Zack mulled it over in his mind. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "If you could, that'd be great!"

Sephiroth nodded. "I'll find their number in the morning and we'll do that."

He was not looking forward to trying to explain the matter to SOLDIER. With his luck, some idiot would answer the phone and he would go through the run-around for ages. If he could talk directly to Lazard, maybe they would be able to sort it out without too much difficulty. And Zack's friend Cloud would need to be told too. All who cared about Zack should not have to keep believing him dead.

"Good deal." Zack yawned, stretching his arms as much as he dared. Through the white tank top he was using for an undershirt, Sephiroth could see more of the bandages. His eyes narrowed.

He wanted to bridle his hatred towards the rebels for what they had done. He did not want to lose control again. Yet he could not guarantee what would happen when he encountered some of them again. And even if he did not snap, hatred would almost certainly fuel his blade. He would not feel any pity or mercy when he felled them. They did not deserve it.

"Well," Zack said now, "must be pretty late. You gonna try to sleep some more?"

Sephiroth nodded. "If I can." Part of him wondered if he should get up and talk to Mr. Moto, but he had said he would awaken Sephiroth if he discovered anything urgent. And the cot felt so nice, especially with the General's aching body. The thought of moving at this point was most undesirable.

Zack settled into the bed, throwing the covers up around his shoulders. "Sorry for waking you up," he said.

"Don't worry about it," Sephiroth answered, laying back into the pillow. For Zack to be alive again, why would he care if he was awakened?

Again sleep came easily, for both of them. They desperately needed it.


	6. Don't Wish on a Falling Star

**Notes: Thanks to Kaze and Lisa for plot help! Hope it's okay to use the name Lisa came up with for Zack's mother. It fits well, and I didn't see a need to change it.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Don't Wish on a Falling Star**

_"Seph? Hey, Seph!"_

_Sephiroth started, staring around himself at the endless fog. At least it _seemed_ endless. All was a misty whitish-gray, as far as he could see and beyond. Yet he definitely heard Zack's voice. And when he strained hard enough, the outline of a figure could be seen running towards him, one arm waving through the clouds._

_Suddenly Zack burst free, the fog around him exploding in puffs as it was disturbed. The boy grinned, jogging the last paces to where the amazed Sephiroth was standing. Zack was alive, and free, and perfectly healthy. No bandages graced his arm or his forehead. No eye was covered by the gauze. And he certainly was not having difficulty with his mobility._

_"You found me!" he chirped._

_Sephiroth could only stare. The one who stood before him had complete recognition in his eyes. He was not burdened by memory loss._

_Slowly Sephiroth reached out, overcome. His throat felt like sandpaper. This was . . . was any of it real? Had finding Zack in the first place all been a wonderful dream, something that he would wake up from? Would he even be able to endure it, if it were so? It had felt like reality, when he had found Zack, and yet it still did not seem that it could have happened. What was reality? This also did not seem like it could be. But the Zack here appeared just as real as the amnesiac._

_"How?" he managed to ask. How was Zack here? How had Sephiroth found him? Why did this Zack remember?_

_Zack pulled him close. "Oh man, Seph . . ." he said, his voice near-breaking as he clutched at his best friend. "You don't know how great it is to see you again. . . ."_

_Sephiroth brought his arms around the other, still hesitant. Was Zack a spectre who would vanish as soon as Sephiroth tried to embrace him? Would he melt into the fog, as if he had never existed? But he could feel the form he was enveloping. Zack was there. And the rest of his emotions spilled out. He clutched at the boy, his heart racing._

_"I thought you were dead," he murmured._

"Yeah," Zack said. "I know. I know, buddy." He pulled back, keeping his hands on Seph's upper arms as he spoke again. Now his voice and visage were completely serious. "Seph . . . if I was really dead . . . would you have ever been able to adjust to it?"

_The knife sliced into Sephiroth's heart. So many days, nights, weeks, he had tried. He had tried with all his might to get used to Zack being gone, and it had been impossible for him. He had not been able to openly grieve. "You aren't dead!" he retorted. "Is it necessary to discuss this?"_

_Zack nodded, a sad smile coming over his features. "If I really was gone, Seph, I'd want you to be able to find some happiness again, even if you thought you never could."_

_Sephiroth looked away. "No one else would be allowed into my life," he said. "They would be kept at arm's length."_

_"Just like you did with me at first, huh?" Zack said, and then stopped. "No . . . it'd be even more intense, wouldn't it?" he amended. "Because you've already lost so many people."_

_"I lost everything I had," Sephiroth answered, his tone harsh. "Everyone whom I considered a close friend either left on his own or was taken away. Now you've been returned."_

_Zack ran his tongue over his lips. Now he looked worried. "Seph . . . I never want to see you go through this Hell again," he said. "I know you will, if anything happens to me, but . . . you'd have to let yourself mourn! It'd be scary, sure, but that's the only way you'd start to heal. Bottling it up like you did was just tearing you apart inside."_

_Sephiroth shook his head. "I can't," he said, his voice cracking. "I couldn't. To even think of what we'd experienced, knowing that it was all past and gone, was too much. You can't ask that of me."_

_"No one said it'd be easy," Zack replied, his voice lowering. "It never could be! Losing your best friend is not something you can ever get over altogether."_

_"You're my only friend," Sephiroth said._

_"Yeah . . ." Zack grinned suddenly, pointing his forefinger at Seph. "And I'll never forget it! Doesn't matter what happens, Seph. I'll always be here."_

_Sephiroth gave a slow nod. "I know."_

_Zack's queries were troubling him. Why did he find it so urgent to talk over what might have happened had he been dead in reality? Why was he telling Sephiroth that he needed to mourn? It wasn't some sort of a premonition, was it? An indication that he would be left without Zack, after all? If something happened now, when he had just found Zack again . . . he would not be able to take it. To have his emotions played with in such a heartless manner would be unthinkable, unforgivable._

_"Why?" he demanded. "Why are you asking these things of me? If something is going to happen to you, I want to know!"_

_Zack's expression was filled only with the utmost kindness and concern. "This is you, Seph," he said. "You're trying to sort out all the conflicting stuff you're feeling, and it's coming out like this. It isn't any indication of the future. I promise."_

_"It had better not be." Sephiroth gripped his arms. "If there is a God," he said, "and if He would be that cruel . . ."_

_"Hey, it's because of God that we found each other again," Zack interrupted. "Wouldn't you say?"_

_Sephiroth grunted. "I don't know," he said. "If that's true, then I'll thank Him . . . before asking why you had to be hurt in the first place."_

_Zack gave him a look filled with understanding. "I kinda wonder that myself," he admitted. "But . . . I dunno . . . maybe it was just one of those things. And maybe we're supposed to learn from our trials. You think?"_

_"I can't imagine what there would be to learn from this."_

_"Me either," Zack said. "Well, patience for me, maybe. And having to admit I needed some help sometimes."_

_Sephiroth shook his head. This was too much to try to think about right now. There were so many things in life that could not be explained. He wanted answers, he had wanted them ever since he had been old enough to begin processing thought, but they were always out of his reach. If he thought about it too much, he might drive himself mad._

_Zack sensed that the subject should be changed. He grinned again. "I'm not going anywhere, pal. You're stuck with me!" And he gave Sephiroth a trademark mock salute as the fog thickened around them._

Green eyes flew open, staring up at the white ceiling high above the cot. There were designs around the border, where the wall connected with the ceiling---golden lions, fierce dragons, and other Wutaian symbols. It was similar in some ways to what he had seen in certain other locations, yet at the same time it was so unique. A nightlight's dim glow highlighted particular portions of the decor, but since it was now morning---albeit a very gray one---the light's effect was not as strong as it would have been several hours ago.

What was this? Where was he? The palace? . . . No . . . it was the Motos' home, he remembered, his vision beginning to adjust to the well-furnished room. And everything that had happened was real. The soft breathing drew his attention upward, to the bed. Zack was sprawled upon it, sound asleep.

For a moment he lay where he was, watching the younger man as a sense of wonder and awe swept over him. Zack was laying on his stomach, burrowed into the pillow. His hands were gripping the edges, though he slightly favored his left side. His shoulders and back slowly rose and fell, the proof of his continuing life.

Would Sephiroth ever again be able to take it for granted when he saw Zack breathing? Or would this feeling of amazement persist?

He _should_ be amazed. He should be thankful for this every day.

Slowly he began to push himself up. Several long strands of hair slipped over his shoulders. It was going to be a long day. He was certainly not looking forward to some of what would have to take place, but he would deal with it, of course. He always had. And now, with Zack alive and well, a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart.

Zack stirred, yawning as he turned to look at his roommate. "Hey, Seph," he greeted through the intake of oxygen. "Get back to sleep okay?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes," he said. "Did you?"

"Sure did!" Zack grinned. "Slept like a log." He blinked. "And that's a pretty weird expression, when you think of it. Logs don't sleep."

Sephiroth was amused. "Who knows," he said in sarcasm.

Zack ran a hand through his wild mess of hair, somehow managing to extract the appendage again without the fingers becoming entangled in the tufts. "I'm getting hungry now," he declared. "Wonder what Mrs. Moto's making." He pulled himself into a kneeling position, yawning again. "Maybe we should get up and go see!"

"Maybe." And Sephiroth needed to check with Mr. Moto, too. Whether he had learned anything else or not, the discovery of a materia bomb was something that needed to be reported to the other SOLDIERs as soon as possible.

Without warning Zack froze, his mouth hanging open in mid-yawn as he stared across the room. Sephiroth frowned, following his gaze to where the black coat was draped on a chair. Laying across it was the standard issue SOLDIER belt, which was not required apparel in order to keep one's pants from descending. Since he had not brought sleepwear with him, Sephiroth had opted to just wear his trousers to bed.

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked, looking from his clothing to Zack. The brunet appeared visibly shaken.

"I didn't know you had one of those things," Zack exclaimed. "I washed up on shore with one." He shook his head. "I must've not seen yours last night because of your coat."

"All SOLDIERs have them," Sephiroth answered. And he still did not understand why Zack found them so alarming. It was just a belt. Zack had certainly never had a problem with them before.

Zack moved so that he was sitting with his legs drawn up to his chest. He crossed his arms on top of them, staring down at the quilt. His raven bangs fell forward, brushing against his face.

"Zack, what's wrong?" Sephiroth demanded.

Zack ran his tongue over his lips. "I remembered that symbol," he said slowly. "Just it---not what it's connected to, or how I knew about it. I . . . I just knew it had something to do with why I was hurt. And that bothered me. I mean, _really_ bothered me." He paused, letting that sink in---and perhaps also being hesitant to reveal the rest.

"And?" Sephiroth prompted, his voice quiet.

Zack's shoulders rose and fell as he sighed. "There wasn't much left of mine when I was found, and I didn't even want it near me. Crazy, I guess. I mean, I know it can't hurt me. But since the thing was freaking me out, the Motos figured it was okay to have it burned," he admitted. He gave a weak grin. "Will we get in trouble for destroying military property?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "Under the circumstances, I don't think so," he said, only half-sarcastic.

This was concerning. It was perfectly understandable in Zack's condition, but that did not alter Sephiroth's worry. If Zack was wary, even downright apprehensive, of a symbol of SOLDIER, how would he react to the men themselves? And why had he not been uneasy around Sephiroth? Would that even change, now that he knew Sephiroth possessed one of the feared belts?

"Does it bother you that I wear it?" Sephiroth asked now.

Zack shrugged. "A little?" He grinned, giving a weak laugh. "I know it shouldn't. Boy, am I nutty or what?"

"You aren't." Sephiroth was surprised himself by how harsh his voice came out. Zack blinked.

"You had a very traumatic experience," Sephiroth tried again, softening his tone yet keeping it firm. "It isn't inane at all to be distressed over something you recall about it, no matter how trivial it is."

"Yeah?" Zack studied his friend. "Really?"

"Really." Sephiroth gave a slow nod. "Does fire concern you too?"

Zack stared off into the distance as he thought about it. "Guess it does," he said at last. "I got pretty panicky when Mrs. Moto had the laundry stretched out too close to the oven, anyway. Yelled at her and told her to move it along more." His expression turned to concern. "But won't it be a problem, for me to be trying to be in some military organization with hang-ups like this? I might be on a mission and freeze up, or freak out, or something disruptive like that."

"Let's not worry about that now," Sephiroth told him. "You still have time ahead of you before you'll be ready to return to your duties."

What Zack was saying was possible, of course. Even after he was physically well, the emotional wounds might still linger. But Sephiroth had complete confidence in him. Zack was strong. He would overcome this.

"Yeah," Zack grinned now. "I will. Hey, should we call my parents now, or after breakfast?"

Sephiroth glanced at the clock. "We might as well not wait, if the meal isn't ready yet," he said. He paused. "Unless you feel you can't think on an empty stomach." Sephiroth did so all the time. Zack often worried that he never got enough to eat. But Sephiroth insisted that his work was more important.

Zack leaned back. "Let's see . . . make a shocking phone call or eat a big meal. Tough choice," he said, and smirked.

Sephiroth shook his head. "We'll eat first," he said, his tone half-weary. He almost wondered if Zack was deliberately stalling the inevitable as long as he could, dreading what would happen on the phone. Zack was not the type to run away from anything (except the furious boyfriends of the girls with whom he occasionally flirted), but the current situation was distressing him more than he would ever reveal. And it was likely that, deep down, Zack was not quite as laid-back about his injuries as he wanted Sephiroth to believe. He was frustrated that he was currently unable to do much other than laying down and talking. Sephiroth knew his best friend. Zack could never stand to feel useless.

"Great!" Zack cheered now. He started to swing his legs out from under him, balancing his body with his good arm as he pulled himself upright.

Sephiroth began to stand as well. He turned, moving to collect his coat before venturing out of the room to locate the bathroom. He would not bother if he was in his own quarters at the base, or even in his room at the palace, where there was a connecting bathroom. But he had the decency to not wander out of a room topless, when he might be seen by other people. He sighed to himself, brushing his hair around to be in front of him as he reached for the dark coat. He did not think anything of it.

But Zack gave an alarmed gasp. "What happened to your back?!" he exclaimed. "All those scars . . . and that really long cut-looking thing?!"

Sephiroth froze, a frown coming over his features. How foolish could he be? Of course Zack would find the sight horrifying. And should he explain the truth? It might help restore something to Zack's memory bank, but on the other hand it might only confuse him further. Especially since it was scientists working for Shinra who had been responsible for the majority of the afflictions.

"I . . . was hurt in a fire," he said at last. "Several months ago."

He could hear Zack coming closer. He could feel the worried lavender eyes staring at his back.

"These aren't burns," Zack said. "Most of 'em, I mean. They look awful!"

Sephiroth turned to face Zack. His coat was still being held in his hands. What could he say? Of course Zack would be smart enough to recognize incision scars. "I . . . underwent several operations," he said. "The majority of the scars are from them."

Zack bit his lip. "But what about that long slice thing?" He shuddered. "Why doesn't it bleed or something? The skin looked folded over, but . . ."

Sephiroth shook his head. "The doctors were testing something," he explained. "I don't understand what was done, but they altered the way my body works in that spot." There had been some problems with bleeding after the wing had first been installed, and then he had been forced into another operation while Hojo attempted to correct it. Apparently it had worked. He had never experienced any other problems in that respect.

But Zack was not willing to let this go. It had greatly shaken him. "Why wouldn't you know?" he exclaimed. "Don't the doctors tell the patients what they're gonna do before it happens?!"

Sephiroth sighed. He reached out, laying a hand on Zack's shoulder. "I didn't have a choice," he said, in the tone which always meant he wanted to abandon the discussion. Of course, Zack rarely ever paid attention to it, when he was desperate for an answer. Even without his memories, it was not likely that such an integral part of his personality would be forgotten.

"You didn't have a choice?!" Zack repeated, not any more calmed by Seph's tone. "Why?!"

There was no hope for it, then. "Mad scientists . . . experimented on me," Sephiroth said, his voice lowering. A shadow of Hojo's cruel laughter echoed through his mind. _"Beautiful, isn't it?"_ he had exclaimed, while Sephiroth had lain helpless on the operating table. Now Sephiroth knew to what the creature had referred.

Zack stared, looking for a moment as if he had been electrically shocked. But then he swallowed. He was still horrified, and yet knowing the real explanation somehow pacified him, even if the change was only slight.

"What did they do to you?" he asked, his own voice barely above a whisper.

Sephiroth hesitated. The last thing he wanted to do was to frighten Zack, or to make him repulsed. What would he think of what was hiding within Sephiroth's right shoulder? When the only winged person he had known was Genesis, he had decided that the red-cloaked man was right and that winged humans were monsters. But he had later changed his mind, telling Angeal that his extra appendages were like angel wings. Angeal's wings, however, were white, as one would imagine angel wings would be. Both Sephiroth and Genesis possessed black wings. Not that Zack would ever be so narrow-minded as to think that a black wing would symbolize evil.

"They did this." Sephiroth's tone was still quiet, but pain and anger were not easily concealed. Slowly he began to draw the wing into view. It was constructed so that it could be quite comfortable when folded. Occasionally he did not even think about the limb's presence, at least on a conscious level. And yet stretching it did feel good, as if it was being released from captivity.

Zack gasped, his lavender eyes widening. From where they were standing, near the corner, Seph had needed to turn so that the wing would spread out across the bed. Now he let it linger for a moment, each feather as black as his coat and yet possessing a deep sheen that fabric could never have. It was not possible, to be looking at such a thing. Humans could not have wings. And yet . . .

Zack stepped forward, extending a hand with caution. Something drew him over, just as some unseen force had sent him limping to Seph last night. He did not remember, but still . . . somewhere in his heart, he did.

"An angel wing," he murmured as his fingers made contact. He stroked the down, fascinated and alarmed all at once. To think that something so wicked had been done, and yet for it to have brought about a beautiful creation . . . his feelings were torn.

The General's tense muscles begin to relax. Zack was not afraid, or repulsed.

* * *

It was not difficult to find the Fairs' number in Gongaga, once Sephiroth hooked up his laptop and tapped into the database. It was difficult to wait as the telephone rang. Sephiroth had rehearsed and rewritten his possible words countless times, and he had at least determined one thing. There was no easy way to say "Your son is alive, but he has amnesia."

Breakfast had proceeded in a normal fashion, with Zack almost inhaling what was placed before them. Sephiroth had eaten at a normal pace, questioning Mr. Moto about his findings. But other then what he had already concluded, there was not much to be told. If they could get their hands on a completed bomb, or even just the plans, then maybe they would get somewhere. Right now Mr. Moto was sketching various pictures to determine the most logical possibility for the device's structure. And Sephiroth was going to contact the emperor and SOLDIER as soon as possible.

The current matter was his first priority.

At his side, Zack shifted in anxiety. Maybe they were not home. Or maybe they were tending to things around the house and could not come to the phone. It had been three rings now.

A click.

"Hello?"

Sephiroth drew a deep breath. "Is this Ann Fair?" he queried. The voice belonged to a woman, middle-aged, from the sound of it. He vaguely recognized the tones from when he had made that other, abominable phone call. She had broken down on the phone then, and he had not known how to comfort her.

A hesitation. "Y-yes. . . ." The confusion and dread was obvious. She must wonder what other ill news could possibly be coming now, after the death of her only child.

"This is General Sephiroth. I . . . spoke to you before."

She gave a sharp intake of breath. "Yes . . . General, of course," she stammered. "Is . . . is something wrong?"

Sephiroth glanced to Zack, who was leaning very far forward on the table. Here was the hard part. She might think he was playing a cruel joke. And it might even sound as though he was, if he could not phrase it properly.

"Mrs. Fair," he began, "your son . . ."

In the background he could hear her husband sounding frustrated or angry. "Why is SOLDIER bothering us now?" he exclaimed. "Can't they just leave poor Zack dead and get on with their lives? Let us get on with ours, too?"

"Hush," Mrs. Fair retorted. She was trying to clamp her hand over the mouthpiece, but Sephiroth could hear anyway. "This is . . . he's Zack's friend," she managed to say. "He misses Zack too." Bringing the receiver back to her ear, she spoke into it again. "What . . . is it you wanted, General?"

Sephiroth gripped the phone. "Mrs. Fair, I know how hard this will be for you to believe," he started over, "but . . ." He rubbed his forehead. "Zack is alive."

An audible gasp came from the phone. ". . . No," the tortured woman said then. "No, that isn't possible. Zack is . . . he . . . he can't be . . . ! You yourself saw him killed!"

"He was wounded almost to the point of death, and carried a long distance by the ocean. But he was found and taken in by a couple living in Wutai," Sephiroth hurried on, wanting to get the story in before she might swoon from the shock. "I'm with him right now."

"He . . . he's alive . . ." Mrs. Fair tested the words, as if to speak them might somehow make them more real. But it still seemed a concept so out of her reach, so incomprehensible. Her son, her precious Zack, always so cheerful and happy, telling her not to worry, that he would always come back from the dangerous missions. . . . She had never wanted him to join SOLDIER, but she had not tried to stop him. He was a free spirit who deserved to soar, to get away from their small jungle village. And he had seemed so happy in his letters, telling her and his father all about what it was like to be in the military, complaining about not getting to sleep in, excited that he was able to help people, praising Angeal but saying he needed to "loosen up". . . .

He had spoken of the General, too. She had come to feel that she knew Sephiroth, after everything Zack had said. When he had been the one to call her about Zack's death, he had sounded so militaristic and cold. But then he had given the news, and she had been able to hear the heartache in his voice. He loved Zack.

"Is he alright?" she cried then. "Can I speak to him?" Unless the poor man was delusional, he was telling the truth. He would not lie about Zack's fate.

". . . Yes," Sephiroth said, "you can. He wants to talk to you. But I should warn you, Mrs. Fair . . . he remembers very little aside from his own name."

Another, horrified gasp. But when the voice came again, it was steady. "I . . . I wouldn't expect even Zack could come out of such an experience completely unhurt," she said. "He'll remember, in time. Yes, I want to talk to him." Her voice broke. "Please, let me talk to my boy . . . !"

In the background, her husband sounded even more upset. "What sort of cruel trick are they pulling?" he demanded. "Give me that phone, Ann. I'll give them a piece of my mind."

"No!" Mrs. Fair exclaimed. "It's the truth, Burt. It's the truth. Our son is alive. His dear friend would never lie about this."

"Oh, he's a General!" Mr. Fair retorted. "He'd do anything, if it would help him get ahead with his plots."

Sephiroth frowned at that. But he would ignore it for now. He looked to Zack. "Here," he said, holding out the phone. "You'd better talk to her before your father manages to get the telephone hung up."

Zack blinked, accepting the receiver. "Wonder what kinda issues Dad's got with the military," he mused. "Wish I could remember." He clutched the device tightly, running his tongue over his lips. Couldn't let it be seen that he was nervous. That would just hurt them more.

"Hey, Mom!" he chirped then. "And Dad! It's me!"

A choked sob was his answer. "Zack," his mother cried, her voice shaking. "It's you, it's really you. Oh, you're alive . . . !"

And finally his father was a believer. "Zack . . . my boy," he exclaimed, overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotions.

It was uncomfortable, to be met with his parents falling apart over realizing he was alive, especially when he did not remember. What should he say? What would he say, if he had his memories and knowledge back? He had greeted them with cheer, and it seemed like it had not been a wrong thing to do. Maybe that was just how he would keep on. It was what he felt like doing, anyway.

"I'm doing okay," he said. "Really. Seph found me and all, and he told me about you guys . . ."

"'Seph'?" Mrs. Fair tried to give a shaking smile. "You remember him?"

Zack glanced to Seph for a moment, his eyes regretful. "Well . . . no," he admitted slowly. "I just . . . remember we're really close. Kinda like I feel about you and Dad. But I don't have any concrete memories or anything."

Mrs. Fair swallowed hard. "Y-yes," she said. "I understand, Zack. . . ." But it was starting to sweep over her with a fury. Zack was alive. He was truly alive! . . . But he did not remember. He would not know what she looked like, or his father. Nor would he recall this little house or his room. There would be no memory of the many happy hours he had spent there, growing up, exploring the village, leading the other children on "missions". . . . They had all loved him so much.

He would not recollect when he had come to her one evening, when he was about six, and threw his arms around her waist, proclaiming, _"I love you, Mommy!"_ Or how he had declared that he had the "best Dad ever," when his father had taken him on a ride in their truck and explained about their role in helping the village.

It was all so much to take in. An entire lifetime to be relearned. She did not doubt him, or that Sephiroth would help him for now, but she wanted so much to be there for him! And when she did see him again, would she see remembrance and recognition in his lavender eyes? Or would there be hesitation, uncomfortable confusion because he knew he was supposed to know her and Burt but did not? Would he feel awkward if she tried to embrace him?

And yet, in spite of it all, he was the same Zack. His true spirit shone through very clear.

"Oh Zack," she exclaimed now, unable to stop herself. "You don't remember. You really don't remember . . ."

Zack could feel his hand growing clammy. Stupid phone receiver might get slippery if he did not hang onto it. "I will, Mom!" he tried to assure her. "I really will! Hey, everything'll be back to normal in no time."

Strange, how Zack could always make her feel that it was true, that it was all okay. Or maybe not so strange. Maybe that was his true purpose in life, to give hope.

"I know," she said. "I know. . . ."

Zack smiled. "Yeah," he assured, and changed the subject.

"How's Dad?"

"Just fine, now!" Mr. Fair called into the phone. He was leaning over on the table so that he could hear the conversation. "You sound like you're doing well, boy," he said, his voice gruff. "You see that you don't get into anything else dangerous, hear?"

"I'm sure Seph'll see to that!" Zack answered, smirking at his buddy.

"Bah," was the muttered reply. "SOLDIERs are always so reckless!"

"Well, somebody's gotta do it," Zack said.

"Are you sure you don't remember, son?" Mr. Fair frowned. "You sound just like you always used to."

"Aww, come on, I wouldn't make up something like this!" Zack protested. He looked to Seph, his eyes displaying unease. How long could he keep this up? Apparently he was doing it well . . . too well, and it was just making him more nervous. Surely his dad did not really believe he would lead them on this way.

Sephiroth frowned. Did Zack want him to interfere? That would only make matters worse, most likely. He wanted to help his friend. He wanted that uncomfortable look to go away. It hurt, to see Zack expressing such helplessness in his eyes. But he himself felt helpless as well.

"Oh, Zack, your father doesn't mean that," Mrs. Fair broke in now. "He . . . he's just trying to wrap his mind around all of this. You know how he is. . . ." But then she trailed off, knowing instantly that she had made a mistake in her words. How could she have said that?! Had she really not adjusted at all, even after what she knew to be true? It was so hard, to get used to thinking of Zack not recalling anything, when he spoke just like his old self. . . . Yet that was just what he would do, wasn't it? He would fall back on his cheer to hide his insecurities.

Zack was silent for a moment. ". . . No, Mom," he said then, his voice quiet. "I don't know."

And it was too much then. "Zack, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I . . . I didn't mean . . ."

Zack could almost feel her anguish, even through the phone. So many emotions, crashing in his poor mother's heart. . . . He could not be upset with her. Of course she had not meant it.

"It's okay, Mom," he said again. "It's really okay!"

A change seemed to come over her. When she spoke next, she was all at once composed.

"Whatever is the matter with me?" she said. "You're there, and you must be feeling so confused as it is, and I go losing my mind! Oh Zack, please forgive me. I'm not usually like this. I . . ."

"Nothing to worry about!" Zack broke in. "You're really under a strain right now. I dunno how I'd be acting in your position, Mom. But I'm not upset!"

"Good," Mr. Fair said, impatient to move on to other topics. "Will you be coming home soon, son?"

And that was something he could not answer. From Seph's expression, he couldn't, either. ". . . I don't know," he admitted. "But I'll call some more, just as soon as I can!"

"Yes, please let us know how you are!" Mrs. Fair exclaimed.

"I will!" Zack assured.

The conversation proceeded for a bit longer, in a more comfortable fashion. But when Zack hung up, he slumped back into the chair, running a hand through his spikes.

"Wow," was all he said, looking to Seph.

* * *

Sephiroth felt that they needed to be on their way as soon as possible. The plan was to take Zack to the emperor's retreat first, and then to consult with the ruler and the other SOLDIERs about the bombs. After goodbyes and thanking the Motos for their hospitality and kindness, they went out to the Jeep. Zack had a makeshift cane he had been using, and as they approached the vehicle, his visible eye lit up.

"This looks like a sweet ride!" he grinned.

Sephiroth was amused. He watched as Zack limped to the passenger side and balanced while opening the door. If Zack had not succeeded, Sephiroth would have assisted him with climbing inside. But Zack made it perfectly fine on his own, easing into the seat and reaching for the safety belt. Sephiroth nodded in approval, walking to the driver's side and getting in as well.

The feelings that came over him were not expected. There was such a sense of nostalgia. How many times had he and Zack entered Jeeps on their missions? It had been so indescribably lonely the last few weeks, when Sephiroth had ridden by himself. There had always been times when he had expected to see the impish brunet grinning at him from out of the corner of his eye, or when he had been almost tempted to tell Zack to look at the map and report on how much farther there was to travel. But of course there had been no one to tease him, no one to read the map.

Now there was. Not that he would expect Zack to navigate in his current condition, of course.

Zack leaned against the back of the seat. The softness felt good against his aching back. And for the moment he was perfectly content with watching Seph steer through the dirt roads as they headed to the main part of the town. They had to go there in order to reach the road into the mountains.

The conversation with Cloud had not been nearly as awkward as the one with Zack's parents, even though Cloud had also known of Zack's condition. For a long moment Cloud had been stunned into silence, unable to comprehend that it had actually been Zack who had said Hello to him. Finally, uncomfortable, Zack had spoken again.

_"Cloud? Yoo-hoo? Still there?"_

And then the joyous MP had answered at last.

_"Zack! It . . . it really is you! I thought maybe it was some kind of joke. But it's not!"_

Zack had grinned. _"Course not!"_ he had replied. _"They can't get rid of me that easy!"_

_"That's . . . that's great!" _ Cloud had exclaimed._"Everyone's missed you so much. Wait until I tell the others about this! It's the first good news we've had in a while!"_

_"It is?"_ Zack had blinked. _"What kinda news do you usually get over there?"_

_"A lot of stuff about rebellions, and SOLDIERs who've died. And weird stuff like what kind of shampoo the commanding officers use."_

_"No kidding."_ Zack had not been sure whether to be amused or disturbed. _"What do they do, paw through all the garbage cans?"_

_"They must, I guess."_

Zack smiled to himself. What a nice kid. So easy to talk to, too. Maybe it was easier for Cloud to handle the amnesia when he had not known Zack all of Zack's life, like his parents. Though they had certainly done their best to adjust to the shock. Zack did not blame them for any uncomfortable behavior they had displayed. He was their only kid. They sure had the right to take it hard, him not remembering and all. Seph and Cloud were probably pretty deeply cut by it, as well. They just were better at hiding it.

And a flash of melancholia creeped into his heart. If he could only remember! He wanted to so badly!

The Jeep giving a harsh jolt knocked him back into the present. "What's happening?!" he yelped, pitching forward in his seat before slumping back against the support.

Seph's eyes were narrowed as he glared at the street in front of them. "A human road block," he replied.

Zack gawked at the scene in front of them. Villagers of all ages and both genders were standing across the path, entirely obstructing the ability to see beyond it. All bore solemn faces, but while some eyes were veiled, others were flaming. Those in front clutched whatever weapons they had been able to secure---from beams of wood to metal pipes.

Sephiroth regarded them in irritation. "This is military business," he snapped. "Clear the road!"

No one moved.

Zack was annoyed. "Hey!" he cried. "Didn't you hear what he said? He's the General!"

Immediately Sephiroth looked to Zack in concern. If they became incensed, and tried to harm him now . . .

But instead a look of horror passed over every face. And it had nothing to do with "the General." Each villager was staring at Zack. Without warning they turned and began to flee in all directions.

Zack blinked in surprise. "What was all that about?" he exclaimed.

A deep frown crossed Sephiroth's features. "I have no idea," he said.

Pressing on the accellerator again, and turning the key, he proceeded to drive down the road. There were no further interruptions.


	7. A Star, Shining in a Universe Far Away

**Notes: I already posted this privately to the person who asked, but in case anyone else is wondering, I'll post it here too. The Motos definitely knew who Sephiroth was before they met him. But they never consciously considered that anyone would shorten the General's name, so they never thought he would be Zack's friend. If they looked for anyone, they may have tried people named Joseph, because I recently realized you could get "Seph" from that, too. Also, Yuffie definitely does act more obnoxious here than in **_**Advent Children **_**or **_**Dirge of Cerberus**_**, but I'm basing it on her behavior in **_**Crisis Core. **_**Many thanks to Kaze for plot and uploading help! I was having trouble with my browser tonight.  
**

* * *

** Chapter Seven**

**A Star, Shining in a Universe Far Away**

"Seph?"

"Hmm?"

Sephiroth kept his eyes on the curving mountain road as he responded to Zack. They were about halfway to the emperor's retreat now, and Zack had been mostly quiet. Sephiroth had wondered if Zack was still pondering the villagers' bizarre behavior. He himself could absolutely not understand it. Even with their superstitions, it seemed so illogical. Zack had not intended to hurt them, and he had not acted as though he would, either.

And he had not thought that very many of them knew what Zack looked like, if they had become frightened knowing that Commander Fair was supposed to have been dead. Yuffie had not been aware of that, however, when Sephiroth had first returned to Wutai. Shinra had tried not to let the news become extremely widespread. But that sort of information usually passed around very fast.

"Who's Angeal?"

That was the last thing Sephiroth was expecting. The green eyes widened as he nearly threw on the brakes. ". . . What are you remembering about him?" he asked instead, keeping his voice even.

"Nothing that really helps," Zack admitted, sounding frustrated at the fact. He leaned his right arm on the Jeep's door, propping himself up with it. "I just see myself running up somewhere, calling 'Angeal!', and then this white feather floats down into my hand." He frowned. "And then there's a scene where I just see this guy turning away, and it's dark, but the sword on his back is reflecting moonlight or something."

Sephiroth sighed to himself. This was something he had not considered, how he would explain to Zack as his memories of Angeal began to return. And what about when Zack fully recalled how Angeal had left? If it happened before he got back most of the rest of his memories, he would be so bewildered and hurt.

"Angeal was your mentor in SOLDIER," he said at last. "He trained you for some time."

"Oh . . ." Zack frowned. "What happened to him? We didn't call him today. . . ."

"No, we didn't." Sephiroth narrowed his eyes out the windshield at the packed dirt. "Angeal . . . left us."

Zack did not understand. "Why? What do you mean, Seph?" He looked over at the General. "I don't get it."

Sephiroth gave a grim smirk. "I don't, either." Another, quieter sigh. "Angeal betrayed us. He left when his best friend kept pressuring him to go."

"They must've had a reason. . . ." Zack continued to watch Seph expectantly, his raven spikes blowing in all directions.

And here was where it got even more complicated. Sephiroth could understand at least some of why Genesis had determined that leaving SOLDIER was the only thing to do. Shinra had done quite a number of abominable acts, and still was doing them. The longer Sephiroth stayed, the most he had come to feel that it was only because he did not have anywhere else to go, and because he tried to use his power for good. Getting out would not be easy, either. And he did not want to be pursued over the whole planet for desertion. Nor would he ever want Zack to experience such a thing.

". . . They were angry at SOLDIER and Shinra for several things," he said then. "The scientists, mainly. Both Angeal and his friend, Genesis, have wings like mine, though Angeal's are white."

Zack gasped. "It was scientists at _Shinra_ who did that to you, and them?!" he cried. Seph had not specified that before.

"Yes." Sephiroth gripped the steering wheel, unwanted memories swirling through his mind again. The horrors of those operations had been pulled to the forefront of his thoughts ever since that morning.

"Why didn't you get away right then?!" Zack exclaimed.

Sephiroth gave a tired shake of his head. "I didn't have anywhere else to go," he said. "I was raised by those madmen. When I was old enough, I joined SOLDIER. Technically it was still connected with Shinra, but I hoped in the military I would be far from the scientists' grasp."

Zack bit his lip. "Did it work?"

"Somewhat. At least at first." His visage darkened. "It was after I was in SOLDIER that they took me to give me the wing. They thought it would make me a better fighter." He smirked dryly. "But I don't use it."

Zack grinned a bit. "Showing them up?"

Sephiroth nodded. "And I don't like having that kind of unfair advantage in battle."

Zack slumped back in the seat. ". . . I guess most people don't know this stuff, do they?" he deduced.

"Not at all. It would be destructive to Shinra's reputation if it got out. And no one would want to join SOLDIER."

"Then why didn't Angeal and Genesis go around telling all the people about it, so they could all rise up against something like that?!"

And what could he say to that? That both Angeal and Genesis had been convinced they were monsters, and that they had said they could only think of mayhem and devastation, or taking over the world themselves?

"They had to be constantly on the run," Sephiroth answered, "not trusting anyone."

Zack shook his head. "What miserable lives."

Sephiroth nodded. "They are." He had to doubt that they really enjoyed it. But with their minds deteriorating, how much was even left of the people he and Zack had once known? He had not even called Genesis his friend, but just Angeal's. For Sephiroth's part, he had long considered Genesis a friend, and still did, if he stopped to think about it. But Genesis probably did not think of Sephiroth as a friend, and Sephiroth did not feel like discussing the matter.

Zack frowned. "Why did I want to join SOLDIER, anyway?"

Sephiroth returned to the present, shifting the Jeep into another gear as the road became steeper. "You wanted to be a hero," he said.

"A hero?" Zack blinked. "Can you even be one, if the place you're working for is so messed up?"

And that was a question Sephiroth had been asking for ages. He still did not know the answer.

"I don't know," he said. "We always try to do good. We can probably do more in SOLDIER than out."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

He paused. ". . . Does Angeal not care about us anymore, since we're still in SOLDIER?" Even though he did not remember his mentor beyond the minuscule clips flashing in his mind's eye, it seemed that it would hurt very much if Angeal had rejected them. It would pierce his heart, for anyone he had cared about to not want anything more to do with him. And from the way Seph had been talking, it would hurt him, too.

"I couldn't say." Sephiroth hesitated. "You've always believed he still cares."

"Then I'll still believe it!" Zack declared.

A vague smile appeared briefly before vanishing. Of course.

* * *

Sephiroth parked around the side of the retreat, once they arrived. They would need to walk around to the front, but at least Zack would not have to brave the staircase. Hopefully no one would have a heart attack or scream bloody murder when they appeared. He _had_ called the emperor, at least, and had mentioned that visiting the Motos had not gone as planned at all. 

_"Nothing disastrous, I hope?" _Godo had asked in concern.

_"No,"_Sephiroth had answered. _"Just the opposite. Though what I found out about the bomb fragment isn't good."_ And he had explained about the materia, much to the emperor's alarm.

_"We must prevent them from using such a device," _Godo had vowed.

_"We will. I'm coming back there now, but not for long. However, I'm bringing someone with me."_

_"Oh?"_ Godo's voice had registered surprise, as well as slight apprehension._"And who might this someone be?"_ He had sounded as though he was not pleased that Sephiroth had already determined to bring another guest without talking it over first. Though he did know that Sephiroth would not bring anyone not important to the situation at hand. Perhaps it was Mr. Moto himself.

_"It would be better not to talk about it over the phone,"_ Sephiroth had said. And that had had to be good enough for the time being.

"Wow . . ."

Sephiroth came back to the present, turning to look at the amazed Zack. "You like it?" he said. Zack was staring at the retreat.

He nodded. "It's so . . . big!" he exclaimed, gesturing with his hands. "And . . . and . . . I dunno, palace-y!"

Sephiroth was amused. "The actual palace is even bigger," he said. "This is only a temporary retreat."

"No kidding." Zack undid the seat belt, pushing open the door as he grabbed his cane.

Sephiroth followed suit, retrieving his sword and his laptop from the back of the vehicle before guiding Zack along the grassy path. Most of the trees were bare by now, in preparation for the winter. Their leaves were scattered in abundance on the pathway, either side of it, and the building's roof. The only trees still fully adorned were the evergreens further ahead.

Zack looked around, still fascinated. "It's cold up here," he complained, "but this yard's great!" He looked up at Seph. "Hey, have I ever seen snow before?" he asked. "I know Gongaga's in the middle of a jungle."

"You've seen snow," Sephiroth answered in a noncommittal tone. There were times when it snowed in Midgar, but only rarely. If the weather was ill, it usually brought rain, or sleet. But when they had journeyed to the Northern Continent in search of the Ancient's Compass, they had come close to dying in the sub-zero mountains. He did not particularly want to remind Zack of that.

"Did I like it?" Zack chirped.

"You . . . thought it was cold," Sephiroth said at last.

"Guess it would be," Zack mused. "I always wondered what it would be like to touch it."

Sephiroth shrugged. "It feels like crushed ice," he said, "or a snow-cone." He imagined Zack had probably eaten such desserts at some point. The people in Gongaga would need some way to combat the heat, and Zack loved sweets.

He stopped abruptly, hearing footsteps crunching through the leaves. Zack stopped as well, frowning a bit as he tried to look around the corner.

Aoyama's plump form soon came into view. "You're back, General?" he grumbled, glancing to Sephiroth. Catching sight of the boy standing next to him, the emperor's adviser turned pale.

"Yes," Sephiroth said calmly. "We're both back."

Zack looked the stranger up and down. "Hello?" he tried, leaning on his cane as he gave a brief wave with his other hand.

Now Aoyama was flustered. "You . . . you can't be here!" he wailed. "You were killed!"

"Guess not," Zack shrugged.

Sephiroth looked to Aoyama. "Commander Fair was seriously wounded in the terrorist attack," he said. "I found him and brought him with me."

Aoyama turned away, shaking his head and muttering an assortment of words in Wutaian.

"Not happy to see me?" Zack asked, looking to Seph.

"He doesn't like SOLDIERs," Sephiroth said. "But at least he doesn't kill them." This was said only half-sarcastic. Aoyama would not be foolish or bold enough to harm SOLDIERs even if he did have a mind to do it. He expressed his dislike vocally and let it end there.

Zack blinked. "Kill them?!" he exclaimed.

Sephiroth shook his head. "A couple of the emperor's advisers were involved in a plot to kill not only the SOLDIERs, but anyone who treated them with kindness," he said, a bit of anger slipping into his voice. "It's largely because of them that the trouble in Wutai skyrocketed." Koseki had no doubt been delighted upon hearing that Zack had met his demise. And Sephiroth did not intend for him to learn otherwise any time soon. In the prison where he would remain the rest of his life, outside news did not come through very often.

"That's awful!" Zack declared.

Sephiroth gave one nod before resuming the walk to the front entrance. Zack hobbled alongside. Aoyama continued to stare them down. Zack could feel the small eyes' gaze upon his back.

"You know," he called after a moment, "you could just walk with us or something. Then you'd be closer, in case we really do whatever you think we're gonna do!"

Sephiroth had to smirk. Aoyama was stuttering behind them now. Seeing Zack had ruffled him in a way that Sephiroth did not remember seeing from him in the past.

"So," Zack said as they rounded the corner, "is the emperor going to flip out too?"

"Not like that," Sephiroth said. "But I don't doubt he'll be surprised." He paused. "And I should warn you about his daughter," he added in a flat tone.

"Warn me?" Zack repeated. "What, is she a terror or something?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Sometimes. She's very curious and inquisitive, more than she should be."

Zack grinned. "Man. Wear me out, huh?"

"Probably."

Sephiroth looked ahead to the wide porch. Emperor Kisaragi was standing on it, quietly observing the two of them. As they drew closer, he descended the steps to meet them.

"General," he greeted. "And Commander Fair." He looked from one to the other, not seeming confused at all.

Zack blinked. "Do dead guys pop up around here a lot?" he asked.

Godo was amused. "No . . . hardly ever," he said.

Sephiroth seemed somewhat surprised himself, though the look soon vanished. He turned to the emperor with questioning eyes.

"When I spoke to you on the telephone, General, you sounded as though a heavy burden had been lifted from your soul," Godo explained. "I realized that meant one of two things. Either you had come to terms with your dear friend's death, or else he was somehow, miraculously alive. And you did mention you were bringing someone here, but that it should not be discussed over the telephone. It was not hard to fit the pieces together."

Zack grinned. "Fine with me!" he said.

Sephiroth nodded. "I found him staying with the Motos," he told the emperor. "They found him when he washed up on shore after the attack."

"Don't remember much," Zack added, deciding it needed to be said. Sheepishly he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It will come back in time," Godo replied. He half-turned, heading back to the stairs. "Come. There is much to discuss." He gave a quiet nod. "It seems that I have surprise guests as well."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as they followed. "Really."

Zack grabbed onto the safety rail with one hand while clutching his cane in the other. "I like surprises!" he said. "Well . . . good ones, anyway." He hoisted himself onto the bottom step, then placed his cane on the next one to ease himself up.

"This is a relatively good one," Godo said over his shoulder. "Jono Houoji and Ms. Shidou have come to discuss the state of the land, as well as what is happening with the Underground. They were alarmed to learn of the surprise attack on the palace."

Sephiroth gave a slow nod. It still bothered him that they had not known about it. If the rebels already knew of the Underground, and suspected who was part of it, then what else did they know? Could they even be spying on the members now, and have followed them here?

He turned, looking up at the trees. They could not conceal anyone in their bare branches. But someone could possibly be in the small evergreen forest.

"Seph?"

He looked over at Zack, who was almost all the way up the staircase now.

"I can come to this thing, right?"

Sephiroth frowned. Though he had wanted to keep Zack out of the plot, fearing he would want to help fight when he could not, Zack already did know some of what was going on. And he did not want to make Zack feel that he was being excluded because he was hurt. Sephiroth would be very upset if the situation was reversed, possibly even angry, if he himself could not attend the conference. He would want to do whatever he could to help, even if he knew he could not go to combat and could only make suggestions. Zack definitely had the same desire, to help. But he also looked exhausted.

"It's been a long drive," he said then. "You should rest."

Zack frowned too. "Aww, please, Seph?" he begged, staring with wide and mournful eyes. "I won't be able to sleep. I'll just be going nuts in some lonely room, wondering what you're talking about."

Sephiroth looked away. "Puppy dog eyes won't work on me," he said. Though he knew what Zack said was likely true. No matter how tired he was, he would stay awake wondering and worrying.

"Why'd you turn away if it doesn't work?" Zack asked. From his tone, he was probably blinking in mock innocence.

Sephiroth grunted. If he said that he did not want to see Zack's expression, then Zack would consider it a point won. And maybe it would be.

"Try to sleep," he said, "and if you can't, then go ahead and come to the meeting. I'll tell you later if you miss anything."

Zack grinned. "Fair enough!"

"Good." Sephiroth nodded, heading into the building with Zack.

* * *

The room Zack was led to was nicely furnished, with hand-carved chairs and a desk, wine-colored heavy drapes, and a large window and balcony. A futon had been spread on the floor, with a thick comforter on top of it. 

Curiously Zack limped to the window, interested in the view. He was not disappointed. Outside there seemed to be a sharp drop-off, below which could be seen buildings and homes in the town. Trees of varying sizes and kinds waved in the breeze, including more evergreen and pine. At a large and ornate pagoda, men were situated on the roof, apparently replacing the surface. One reached down to a box beside him, picking something up. Zack looked at them idly for a moment, then turned back to the mattress on the floor.

He eyed this with hesitance. With his back and leg still healing, would he be able to get on and off something so low to the floor? It seemed a bit of a concern to even try. He might strain the wounds all the more. It was tempting to say he was not tired at all, and follow Seph instead, but he had promised.

"Do you need some help?"

Zack looked over at his buddy. Seph had seen his doubt.

"Well, uh . . . how do you get on those things, anyway?" he asked, his tone sheepish. "I mean, if you're hurt. . . ."

"You needed to help me for a while, after I was burned," Sephiroth said, to ease Zack's discomfort. He should not have to feel embarrassed for requiring assistance.

"Really?" Zack blinked.

Sephiroth nodded.

With that they went over to the futon, and Sephiroth pulled back the comforter. Draping Zack's arm over his shoulders, and putting his own arm around Zack's waist, he began to lower Zack onto the mattress. Zack went willingly, albeit with obvious awkwardness. He probably still found it unsettling, to be helped by someone he was supposed to know, yet did not remember.

"Wow," he exclaimed as he sank into the futon. "This thing's soft."

Sephiroth was amused. They had already removed their boots at the door, and Zack was carefully swinging his legs under the comforter as he pulled it up around him.

"The meeting is in the large room we passed on our way here," he said.

"They're all large rooms," Zack protested.

Sephiroth straightened up, adjusting Zack's cane so that it would be easy for him to reach. "The one you peered into with such awe," he amended.

"Oh! Yeah." Zack grinned. "No problem."

Sephiroth nodded. "But try to sleep before deciding to come down," he said, his voice slightly stern.

Zack blinked up at him. "Why wouldn't I?"

Sephiroth fixed him with a knowing look. But then he turned away, shaking his head.

"See ya, pal." Zack already sounded sleepy.

"Sleep well," Sephiroth returned, walking to the door.

* * *

The conference room was not as lavishly furnished as some of the other spaces were, but all was neat and in order. The heavy drapes were pulled back, letting in the gray winter's light from outside. A dark vase with golden design was next to it, catching some of the cold glow. Across the room was a native potted plant, its leaves arrayed in such a way as if to say that it felt quite blasé about the meeting. The scent of incense floated throughout, but the smoke was not thick enough that it obscured visibility---for which Sephiroth was pleased. 

Jono and Ms. Shidou looked up as he entered the room. Both were kneeling on cushions around a low table in the center of the floor, along with Emperor Kisaragi and several SOLDIERs.

The SOLDIERs rose. "General, sir!" they said in unison.

Sephiroth nodded to them as he walked to the table. "At ease," he said, and took a seat as well.

The SOLDIERs knelt again, seeming agitated.

"General," Jono greeted, his tone filled with joy, "Lord Godo was just telling us the news. Commander Fair is alive!"

Ms. Shidou nodded. "The children will be so happy!"

Sephiroth looked from one to the other. "Don't tell them until this problem is solved," he said. "If the wrong people learn that Commander Fair is alive, it could make things worse." He did not trust such young children to understand the importance of keeping a secret. Not that the frightened villagers from that morning would not have possibly already revealed the truth to someone who should not hear it.

"Of course," Ms. Shidou agreed.

Godo looked around the table at each of them. "Tell the General what you said to me," he instructed.

Jono's expression turned grave. "We haven't heard from one of the Underground's informants for days," he said. "It's possible that he can't get away to contact us, but in light of the fact that the palace was attacked without us knowing it would happen, the rebels may have realized they were infiltrated."

"I've considered that," Sephiroth said.

"If so, they might not have killed him yet," Ms. Shidou spoke. "They might still be trying to get information from him."

"That's possible, too." Sephiroth crossed his arms. If the terrorists killed the spy, they would want to make an example of him. It was probable that they would gather all of their forces to watch, and to try to frighten any other spies with the display. Afterwards, they would dispose of the body in the way they felt most suiting. If they knew of the Underground, they might send it to them as a warning. If not, they could leave it someplace where they believed it would be found and they could learn the person's affiliation. Or they might even simply have it burned, whether or not they had found out about their enemies. Sephiroth had found that they were capable of doing all of the above, and more.

"What about your other informants?" he asked.

"Of course one of them sent the message about the upcoming attack on the temple," Ms. Shidou said.

"And I'm the other," Jono added. "I haven't learned anything new."

Sephiroth nodded. "Where is the temple?" he queried.

"It's visible from the East windows," Ms. Shidou said. "It's actually not that far away from here. There's a small cluster of homes near it, as you know."

"And they need to be evacuated." Jono frowned. "If we had a place to send the people, we could work on that right away."

"I would suggest the orphanage," Ms. Shidou said slowly, "but it would end up so crowded. And I don't want to do anything that might endanger the children."

"What about the buildings used for evacuation during fire and floods?" Sephiroth asked.

"They would be fine," Jono said, "as long as the terrorists did not learn of where the people were going."

Sephiroth nodded. They likely wanted to destroy the people as well as the temple. If they knew the villagers had been withdrawn, and where they had gone, the rebels might attempt to destroy those buildings, too. It was a very concerning matter.

The door suddenly opened. All looked up.

"Hey, why is a dead guy sleeping here?!" Yuffie exclaimed, stepping into the room.

"Yuffie!" Godo scolded.

If Sephiroth's wing had been out, it would have twitched in his irritation. "A dead person wouldn't be sleeping at all," he said, finding the comment out of place and disrespectful. Not that he would expect much less from Yuffie.

Yuffie pouted. "How come he's alive, then?"

"Because the gods smiled upon him," Godo said. "You know you aren't permitted to come in during our meetings." His voice held a clear edge. He had told his daughter that they were holding a very serious conference, and that she was supposed to be studying. But of course it would be too much to expect that she would obey him. She seemed to grow more defiant with each passing day.

Of course Godo realized that the problems in Wutai were affecting her very deeply. That was the main reason for her behavior, as her worry and anger were being made manifest in her frequent discourtesy. But that did not mean he would tolerate it.

Sephiroth frowned now. "How do you know he's here and alive at all?" he asked Yuffie.

The girl shrugged. "I looked in on him, of course."

The irritation of her earlier remark paled in comparison with this. "Did you wake him up?" Sephiroth demanded.

"He was really out of it," Yuffie said. "I went in and poked him, you know, to see if he was really alive and stuff. But he didn't wake up."

"He needs the sleep." Sephiroth's voice was becoming harsh.

She made a face. "He's asleep already! Don't freak out about it," she retorted.

"Yuffie!" Godo regarded her in all sternness. "That is not the way you speak to your elders. Apologize to the General."

"I'm not sorry!" she protested.

But the look she received from her father prompted her to glower at the floor and shuffle her feet. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Sephiroth gave a slow nod. "Your apology is accepted," he said.

Godo nodded in approval. "Leave now," he ordered.

"Fine. Whatever." Yuffie looked up again, rolling her eyes.

"And don't bother Commander Fair," Sephiroth added.

Yuffie snorted. "I don't think he'd wake up if a foghorn was blaring in his ear." She walked to the door and out into the hall, sliding the opening shut after her.

Sephiroth did not waste any more time getting back to the important problem. "If the evacuation takes place at night, and the families are led away in secret, the terrorists might not learn about it immediately," he said, leaning back on his heels. "The SOLDIERs could occupy the homes for the time being, waiting and watching for the rebels to arrive the next day and start setting up their equipment. If they could be caught in the act, without any civilians being harmed in the process, that would be preferable to most of the other possible scenarios."

One of the SOLDIERs looked uncomfortable. "The villagers probably wouldn't want us in their homes, sir," he said, shifting on his cushion.

"And I wouldn't blame them," Sephiroth said. "I wouldn't want strangers in my quarters, if the situation was reversed." His eyes narrowed. "But when we're trying to save lives, we have to make sacrifices."

The emperor leaned back, considering everything being said. "Try it," he said at last. "When it's dark, I will send two of the palace guards with you, and you will make the villagers understand the severity of the situation. The homes will be emptied one at a time, and one or two palace ninjas and SOLDIERs will occupy each. The switch will need to be made inside the homes for added security."

Sephiroth nodded. He was certainly not looking forward to speaking with the occupants of the homes. It was to be hoped that at least some of them would be willing to listen, but it would be foolish to imagine that all would be agreeable. Some might be suspicious just because SOLDIER was involved. And since there was a growing dislike for the emperor, the presence of the palace guards might not even help the matter. But it would be ungodly frustrating and angering if anyone outright refused. To save their lives, they would have to be ordered away, and possibly removed by force.

"Sir?"

Sephiroth returned to the present, looking over at the SOLDIER to his right.

"Lord Godo said that the bombs being used are being made with materia," he said, the worry clear in his eyes. "With all due respect, sir, how will we disable something like that?"

Sephiroth looked the boy in the eyes. He was really not that much older than Zack. Why had he joined SOLDIER, Sephiroth wondered idly. Had he shared Zack's dream of wanting to be a hero? Did he want to escape from some unpleasant life at home? Or did he even just want adventure? There could be many reasons, even a combination of several.

"I will be honest," the General said now. "I don't know. If the bomb is constructed normally other than possessing materia, then disconnecting the wires should be enough. But a materia-controlled bomb will be very unpredictable. It's possible that, even if the wires are severed, there will be a back-up mechanism that will activate the detonation anyway."

He turned his gaze to the other SOLDIERs. All bore sober expressions. From a distance their visages would be impassive, but when Sephiroth was sitting so near, he could see the worry and fear in their eyes. They knew that this mission could become drastic if they failed. And even if they triumphed in the end, some were likely to die. Yet they were still determined. They were all very young, their ages ranging from the late teens to the early twenties, but they were true SOLDIERs. They were men.

"We won't back down, sir," said the one who seemed to be the spokesman. "We're ready to fight this."

Sephiroth nodded. "And we will," he said, his tone firm. "The terrorists won't win."

* * *

Zack was stunned when he began to awaken and found that the room was in darkness. The only lights were coming from under the door and out the window, and neither provided much help. 

"Man," he mumbled to himself, "I know we didn't get here till early afternoon, but this is crazy." At least it was surely only early evening, six or possibly a bit earlier. There was no way he could have slept longer than that!

He reached above him, groping for his cane as he began to push himself up with his other hand. Was the meeting over by now? Maybe they were eating dinner or something. And as if on cue, his stomach growled.

He smirked. "Yeah, yeah, I'll feed ya," he said. Placing both hands on the cane, and keeping it perfectly upright on the floor, he took a deep breath. He was not going to just lay around and wait for someone to check on him. That could be hours more. And if he was going to be staying here for a while, he needed to figure out how to get on and off something so low to the floor. Seph would not always be here to help him.

He put his uninjured leg out first. Even so, it was difficult to balance on one foot and his cane. His back was protesting. He wobbled, nearly falling back to the mattress. It was all he could do to catch himself.

"Okay," he said, gritting his teeth. "Let's try this again."

Moving with slow and careful precision, he started to pull himself up once more. This time he got his balance. Dragging his other leg behind him, he managed to straighten up, leaning heavily on the cane.

"Whew," he breathed. "That was a workout."

He turned, facing the window. The tall structure he had seen before was still very visible, standing out against the dark sky. Now it was lit up at various parts. It must be a temple or some other important place. There were lots of them all over Wutai. He and Seph had passed two or three before reaching the road leading into the mountains.

Without warning the door slid open. Zack started, whirling to face the intruder. A small girl was silhouetted in the doorway.

"I knew you were awake!" she declared. "I heard you talking to yourself. Almost dying didn't make you go crazy, did it?"

Zack blinked at her with his visible eye. Was he supposed to remember her? She was dressed in a yellow top and matching pants that stopped halfway down her calves. Her dark hair was cut close to her head in a tomboyish way. Maybe this was the emperor's daughter Seph had told him about.

"Nope," he smirked, regaining his composure. "What, don't you ever talk to yourself?"

She shook her head. "Your friend isn't here," she reported.

Zack frowned. "Where'd he go?"

"Down the mountain to get the villagers out of their houses or something," she shrugged. "Something about the terrorists blowing up the temple tomorrow night, and they havta get the people away in case they can't stop it."

"They told you all this?" Zack asked. Somehow that seemed unlikely. If she had been eavesdropping on him for a while, then what would stop her from doing the same at the meeting?

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. They never tell me anything."

Zack leaned back, absorbing the news. He had known of the plan to evacuate, and yet he had not stopped to realize that Seph might go off to take care of it without saying anything to him. Now he was even more annoyed that he had slept so long.

"Hey," he exclaimed, suddenly realizing something, "you say he just went down the mountain?"

"Yeah," Yuffie nodded. "You can see the temple from the window here."

Zack frowned. "I saw some men fixing the roof or something in the afternoon," he said. "They had a couple of boxes up there with them."

Yuffie gave him a strange look. "The roof's fine," she said. "They just fixed it last month. Nobody should've been up there."

"Then what . . ." Zack's eyes widened. The people had been dressed in Wutaian clothing. What if they had been the terrorists, setting up the bombs? The attack on the palace had not been known beforehand. What if the information about the day of this assault was wrong, too? What if it was going to happen tonight? He wanted to be wrong. He prayed to be wrong. But what if he wasn't?

"Where's a telephone?" he demanded.

Yuffie frowned. "Right there," she said, pointing to one sitting on a desk in the corridor.

Zack limped to it as fast as he could. Seph had given him his cell phone number on the ride up. Now the brunet tapped it out on the number pad, gripping the receiver as he brought it to his ear. Seph had to answer. One ring, two rings. . . .

It was an eternity while he waited for it to ring several more times. Was it five? Or six? Now he had lost count.

No one was answering. Not even the voicemail was coming on. Zack swallowed hard, dropping the phone into its cradle after the eleventh or twelfth ring. Was Seph dealing with talking to the villagers? Or trying to get them out? What if Zack's new suspicions were right and the terrorist attack was going to happen tonight? What if Seph did not find out in time and . . .

"I have to warn him!" he burst out.

Yuffie stared. "What are you talking about?" she frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

Zack shook his head. "I have to get there. I have to warn Seph that the attack might be tonight!" He grabbed up his cane, limping down the hall. Yuffie's gawking stare could be felt on his back, but he did not care.

He did not remember Seph, but he still loved him. He would not lose his best friend.


	8. The Protection of the Stars

**Notes: Many thanks to all who have offered plot help!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**The Protection of the Stars**

Sephiroth turned away from the last home on the dirt road, tiredly reaching to massage the bridge of his nose. The occupants were not pleased at all by the prospect of vacating their abode, but at least they were not actively balking and refusing. The SOLDIER and the ninja who would take over would be standing by now, waiting for the family to pack.

Most of the residents here had been relatively pleasant, when he thought about it. They were not jumping for joy over SOLDIERs being here, but they were not sticking guns or knives in their faces, either. And they were going to cooperate. Though the temple priests were insistent that they would not abandon their sacred home. The threat of death did not weaken their determination at all.

He looked to the temple, whose pagoda was towering high above him and dwarfing the houses. Something was still bothering him. If the Underground was having so much trouble receiving correct information of late, how could he fully trust that the date of the attack was right? Or that there would even be one at all? It could be a decoy, for all he would know. But for the moment there was little he could do except to plan on it happening.

The rebels would definitely get a kick out of everyone worrying and preparing for a large-scale assault, only to have it not happen. And then they would strike when no one was ready for it. But if the given date was wrong, what would they have set aside as the actual day? It could be anything in the near future. Next week, two weeks from now . . . even tonight.

Green eyes narrowed. It would not hurt to perform an inspection of the grounds, and of the building itself, just to be safe. Though he might have trouble gaining access to all of the temple. The Wutaians allowed other people, including those not of their faith, to see some of the rooms. But others, those that were especially holy to them, were off-limits. It would not be easy for anyone to place explosive devices at such a location in the first place. Either they would need to have access to every part of the temple, or else they would need to have a knowledge of all the rooms and where the best place would be to set up their abominable devices. Not to mention how to sneak them past the priests.

One would think that the priests and other holy men would be able to identify bombs in their midst, just by noticing something seemed out of place. But maybe the terrorists had ways of disguising them, or hiding them in a very clever and devious fashion.

Or maybe they would even think of doing something so treacherous as running a helicopter into the building. That way, there would not be any bombs to find and dismantle.

Sephiroth gritted his teeth. Nothing could be put past them.

He walked over to the spacious temple, climbing the steps to the front door. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary here, but it did not seem that they would be foolish enough to place their bombs in plain sight. He reached out, knocking on the door.

In a moment, it was opened by a man wearing the traditional apparel of a priest. "General?" he blinked. "I am sorry, but we will still refuse to leave."

"I understand that." Sephiroth looked the older man in the eyes. "I have a different concern now." There was little he could really do, if the priests were so firm on remaining no matter what happened. He respected their religion, though he did not adhere to it. And wanting to stand their ground was something he could understand, though in this situation it seemed foolish. They would not be fighting---only waiting for death to come. And how could their gods want that? To Sephiroth it was preposterous.

"Oh?" The priest frowned. "What is it, General?"

"There's the possibility that the terrorists have released the wrong date for the attack," Sephiroth explained. "And there's a chance that they've already put their explosive devices into position. The temple needs to be thoroughly searched."

The holy man leaned back. "Something so wicked would never desecrate these walls," he said. "We would know if such a thing was here. No visitors are ever left unattended in the temple." But he was deeply troubled by Sephiroth's words. A flicker of concern passed through his eyes.

"We can't take any chances. I'm going to have to search the temple." Sephiroth's voice and visage were firm.

A shake of the head. "You know I can't allow you in every part of it, General."

"You and your fellow priests might not recognize a bomb, if it was well-concealed," Sephiroth answered. "I'm sorry, but in spite of your stipulations, I'm going to have to look everywhere."

A sad sigh, as if to mean that Sephiroth did not understand. "You may search in all of the rooms that are open to the public," he said, "but nowhere else."

Sephiroth nodded, reaching to unbuckle his boots and remove them. It would have to do for now, but he would see to it that every part of the temple was investigated. Even if the only way to get it done was to go against their wishes and walk everywhere. The way he saw it, it would be better impurified than destroyed. They could always repurify their sacred rooms. They could do nothing if they were dead. And if the bombs were detonated, much more than just the temple would be damaged or destroyed. It was not only this one location at stake.

The priest waited until he was ready, then led him inside. "You do not understand our desire to remain, no matter what happens," he deduced.

Sephiroth grunted. "I don't see what good you think you can accomplish by waiting for death to strike," he admitted. Their footsteps were almost noiseless on the wooden floor, except for when an old and worn spot was hit. It would creak in displeasure.

The older man nodded. "For us, this is not only a building, or even a home," he said. "It is a living entity, the same as you or me. It watches over us. Its walls shelter us, and its light smiles upon us. To abandon it for any reason would be like betraying a friend."

"Other ones could always be built," said Sephiroth.

"It wouldn't be the same," replied the priest. "This is where we have worshiped for a good part of our lives. Some of the younger ones have grown up here. And us older ones have a difficult time remembering when there was ever anything else."

Sephiroth fell silent. Such sentimentality towards an inanimate object was not something he could understand, at least not on that level. He felt no such attachment to Shinra or any of its buildings. Hojo had certainly assisted in the development of such feelings, and there was no doubt that the main reason why Sephiroth did not feel fondness for where he had grown up was because there had not been happy memories while he had been there. But he could not picture himself as being that type of person, even without the scientists' interference in his life. There had been happy memories since he had joined SOLDIER, for instance, but he did not feel sentimental towards his quarters.

Though it was true that he hated the thought of someone else moving into Zack's office, claiming it as his own. But that had very little to do with the room itself, and everything to do with the person who had occupied it. If Zack's life had not been preserved, and Sephiroth had had to face such a change, he would have wanted to avoid that office as much as possible. But with his inability to grieve, he might have forced himself to do so anyway, making himself see that Zack was gone until he would have become utterly broken.

In any case, he would never place a building's "feelings" above his own safety. And he would deny that his own feelings would ever take precedence over being careful. Even though deep down he knew he would risk everything for Zack's safety. He already had, many times in the past. And Zack had done the same for him.

Hojo would definitely frown upon that.

* * *

Zack shifted in discomfort, gripping the seatbelt and his cane as the Jeep made its way down the mountain. "How long is this gonna take?" he exclaimed, ignoring his wild black hair blowing into his face. The SOLDIER he had located had been highly concerned by Zack's idea about the attack. He had also tried to contact first Sephiroth, and then his direct superior, to no avail. The signal would not reach the cell phones, when they were still so close to the mountain down below. And so he had determined to go down and warn them. Zack had refused to be left behind.

"We should be there soon, sir," the driver answered. "But you really shouldn't have come along. . . ." He bit his lip. "You're still hurt. . . . And the General would never forgive me if something happened to you. I wouldn't forgive me, either."

"Hey, I'll be okay!" Zack tried to assure him. "I just gotta make sure Seph is okay, too, and let him know about the guys on the roof."

The Second Class SOLDIER nodded. "You should probably wait in the Jeep, sir," he said, "and I'll find the General."

"We can look faster if there's two!" Zack answered.

When possible, he was keeping his gaze firmly on the pagoda up ahead. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. It would be great to believe that there was nothing to worry about. But he could not rest until he knew for sure. Speaking of never forgiving, he would never forgive himself if Seph was hurt . . . or worse. And he did not want anyone guiltless to die, of course. There could be many casualties.

Finally the lights of the village were coming more into view. They were almost there now. And as the SOLDIER swung the vehicle around to take them in a back way, many figures became visible. Other SOLDIERs were leading the homes' occupants into large, dark trucks with canvases covering the flatbeds. Some of the villagers were children, and by the way they moved, they were afraid and reluctant to leave. Zack felt his heart ache for them.

As the Jeep began to be thrown into Park, Zack undid the safety belt and leaped out, landing on his feet with the cane to steady him. The poor driver gawked, obviously worried that Zack was hurting himself. But the brunet only raised his hand in a mock salute, waving him on. It was strange, how natural the dangerous move of jumping out of the car was to him. He must do stuff like that a lot.

He limped forward, waving again as everyone turned to look at him. "Anyone seen the General?" he called.

The villagers froze, horror and alarm coming over every face. The SOLDIERs frowned, looking from them to Zack.

"He isn't here, sir," one of them spoke. From his uniform color, and what Seph had told him, this guy was Third Class.

"He's gotta be around somewhere!" Zack retorted. "Is he checking out the houses, or the temple grounds, or . . . ?" He frowned more, seeing one terrified woman attempting to leap into the back of the truck in one bound. "Hey, what's going on around here anyway?" he demanded. "Do they think I'm carrying some contagious disease or something?"

The other SOLDIER shrugged helplessly. "They don't speak much of the Basic language, sir," he said. "And I was just transferred here not long ago. I'm still learning Wutaian."

"Well, ask 'em what you can!" Zack encouraged. "Earlier today, a whole group of people made a roadblock, and they all scattered when they saw me! . . . Not that that's a bad thing," he amended, "but it's just weird!"

At his side, the driver approached. He also seemed bewildered by the Wutaians' reaction to Zack. He frowned, laying one hand over the other as he stood at ease.

The SOLDIER near the truck turned, speaking to the woman. She answered back in rapid-fire, panicked Wutaian. Whatever it was, the SOLDIER did not like it. A frown graced his features.

"What is it?!" Zack cried.

The Third Class SOLDIER looked back to him. "Sir . . . she says everyone thinks you're a vengeful spirit, coming to wreak havoc on all the people of Wutai because you were killed by Wutaian terrorists." He sounded apologetic, looking embarrassed to even be saying such a thing. "She says it's been prophesied that a great warrior would one day be killed, and it would have a direct and lasting effect on Wutai."

Zack blinked in surprise. "But that's crazy!" he said. "I'm not dead. And if there weren't any identifying marks or stuff like that, that match stuff in the prophecy, I could just be a random guy wearing bandages."

"Well . . ." The SOLDIER shifted. "That's another thing, sir. They said he would have a mako glow in his eyes and be recognized instantly because of his black . . . something. That part of the prophecy was lost, I guess. But they figured . . . well, that it was your hair, sir." His gaze traveled to Zack's mess of spikes.

Zack frowned. "Really weird." He shook his head. "But I've gotta find Seph!" he pleaded, turning the conversation back to the main subject. "It's really important. The attack might be tonight instead of tomorrow!"

The other young man blanched. "He . . . he was heading towards the temple when I saw him last, sir," he stammered.

The driver stepped forward. "I need to speak with Commander Hunnicutt about this," he said.

"Yes, sir. . . ." The Third Class SOLDIER gestured to the trucks. "He's at the other one."

"Thank you." The driver looked to Zack. "I could get you to the temple, sir," he offered.

Zack shook his head. "Nah, it's not far to walk," he said. "You go talk to your commander. We don't want any Jeeps seen on the main road, anyway."

"Yes, sir!" The Second Class SOLDIER saluted him.

It was weird, to really realize that they were all showing him this respect. He saluted back, then turned, hobbling away. He must be pretty high up on the food chain, so to speak. Seph had let him know that he was a First Class SOLDIER, and that there were not many of them. Zack served as the personal assistant to Seph, the General. And though he sometimes went out on missions alone, or with other SOLDIERs, usually he went with Seph. Apparently they were saved for the most dangerous assignments. And this whole thing in Wutai sure qualified.

As he came out from between two small houses, the temple ahead was clearly visible. And was that Seph at the door, turning to leave? It was. Zack would know that silver hair anywhere.

"Seph!" he yelled, breaking into a fast walk. And with his cane, that was not very fast. But the road was narrow, and he made his way across in good time.

Sephiroth looked up, shock eclipsing all other emotions. But then he frowned. "My memory must be failing me," he said, his tone dry and flat as he tapped the side of his head. "I was under the impression you were in the mountains, resting."

Zack shook his head. "I had to come, Seph!" he protested. "The attack might be tonight!"

Sephiroth rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I haven't found any traces of bombs," he said. "They may be planning a kamikaze mission." And if they were, it would make him even more protective of Zack. It had been a kamikaze mission that had nearly ended his life.

"Did you check the roof?" Zack returned.

Sephiroth's frown deepened. "No," he said. "Why?"

"I saw people up there today, Seph!" Zack said, leaning on his cane. "They had a couple of box things. I thought they were fixing the roof, but the emperor's daughter said that it was already fixed and nobody should've been up there!"

Green eyes widened. Sephiroth turned, banging on the door again. If detonation devices had been placed on the roof, the damage would be catastrophic. Even if the bombs themselves did not destroy the entire temple, the roof and the upper levels would cave in, and if the framework was demolished, the rest of the pagoda would not last long, either.

The exhausted priest peered out into the night. "General, you have already been all over," he said, "and you have found nothing. Please, you must allow us to go on with our purification rituals now." They had not allowed Sephiroth into their most sacred rooms, but they had at last compromised by letting him stand in the doorways and direct the priests as they searched for anything that should not be there. It had been a long and tiring experience, and fruitless.

"Was anyone on the roof today?" Sephiroth interrupted.

"The roof?" The older man frowned. "No."

"Commander Fair says he saw people up there." Sephiroth nodded to the worried brunet. "If you didn't send anyone up, then what's left?"

The priest's eyes widened in horror. "Come," he exclaimed, pulling the door open as he gestured into the corridor. "We must look."

Sephiroth moved to go inside. "You should wait down here in the hall," he said to Zack. There was no way that Zack could come onto the roof in his condition. He might stumble and fall, with his bad leg. Even though this pagoda's roof was more flat than some of them, it was still too much of a risk.

But Zack frowned. "I could watch from the doorway, at least!" he protested.

The priest shook his head. "There's countless staircases," he said, "leading up to an attic with the trapdoor to the roof. It would be difficult for you to manage, Commander." He gestured with his hands. "You have to climb a ladder to the opening in the ceiling."

"I need to practice with my leg, anyway," Zack said.

"There's no time for this," Sephiroth broke in. He walked past, heading for the staircase to the side. The priest hurried after him.

And it was not a surprise to also hear a cane thumping on the floor behind him.

* * *

Zack was out of breath long before they gained the attic and the trapdoor came into view. He placed both hands on his cane, leaning into it as Seph examined the ladder affixed under the door. Apparently he felt that it was sturdy enough. As Zack watched, Seph began to climb. The priest then followed as well.

It was amazing, how Seph never seemed to tire. He had not been out of breath at all after all those steep stairs. And now he was heading right up the ladder, not pausing. He kept going and going. . . .

A tired yawn began to choke forth. Zack was exhausted, and yet there was no time to slow down or stop. And in spite of his physical weariness, his mind was very active. He had to know what was going on, and to help if he at all could! He moved forward. Setting the cane against a crate, he grabbed the ladder and steadied himself while placing his good foot on the first rung. As he hoisted himself up, he brought his other foot up too. Maybe in this way, he could keep putting pressure on his uninjured side to get himself up. The ladder could be his crutch. It was worth a try, anyway.

At the top, Sephiroth was pushing open the trapdoor and pulling himself onto the roof. As he straightened up, he shined his flashlight upon the space directly around him. It was safe, so he moved the beam higher. Most of the roof was visible from where he was standing, and two ominous, ticking boxes were heard before they were seen. Green eyes narrowed.

He moved forward with care, kneeling down by the nearest container. Offhand it looked like a normal bomb. The time counter read fifteen minutes and counting. Zack had found him just in time.

"What is it, General?" the priest asked, emerging onto the roof as well.

Sephiroth was silent as he looked over the device. Nothing was visible from the outside. But there was a panel that was screwed in. "Do you have a screwdriver?" he asked the older man.

He frowned, shaking his head. "No . . ." he said. "I could go look for one."

"Do that." Meanwhile Sephiroth was reaching into his pants pocket. He did have a small knife on a keychain. He preferred his sword in general, but every now and then came the occasion when a sword was not convenient and he needed a knife. And so he had bought this one years ago. He flipped out the blade, bringing it into position in the screw's grooves. Carefully he began to turn it.

"Seph?"

Zack was peering out of the hole. Sephiroth frowned. How had he gotten all the way up the ladder? Now he was climbing out onto the roof, and the priest was going back inside.

Nevermind. The screw had just popped loose. Sephiroth placed it aside, removing the panel as gently as he could. He could not help noticing the counter as it ticked away. _Fourteen and a half minutes. . . ._

Here were the wires. Plus it looked like part of the materia was visible. Sephiroth's lip curled. It seemed to be plugged into the wires, or at least some of them. In color-coding, white should be the neutral wire, and not a concern. Green was the ground. Then there was black, blue, and red for the live ones. But this bomber apparently had not crafted his device out of color-coded wires. This bomber was smarter than that, and more devious. It would require a lot of technical work to shut it off, and less than fifteen minutes might not be enough time. Sephiroth gritted his teeth. There was still the chance of a back-up mechanism as well.

Zack gave a low exclamation. "They're here," he breathed, taking in Seph's tense posture and the thing he was leaning over. The second one was directly across from it. Without hesitation he crawled forward to the other box. "How much time have we got?"

"Fourteen minutes." It was nightmarish to think of what would have happened if Zack had not found him. It was also nightmarish to think of what could still happen. And Sephiroth would rather not. The rebels were probably having a good laugh at his expense.

Zack fished in his pocket, producing a knife of his own. Turning it in the screw was not so difficult, but keeping hold of the stupid screw was. As soon as it was loose, it tumbled out and bounced across the mostly flat roof. Zack glowered at it, mumbling something under his breath as he lifted the panel. He was faced with the same set of wires.

"So . . . uh, which one do we cut, Seph?" he asked, trying to mask the sheepishness in his voice.

Sephiroth shook his head. One wrong move could cause the entire thing to detonate anyway. And knowing how wretched these monsters were, they could have even booby-trapped what should be the way to shut it off, just in case someone did find it.

"You studied how to disarm a bomb during your years of training," he said. It was too much to expect that Zack would be able to remember how at this point. But maybe if he talked Zack through it, while going through the actions at the same time, they could make it. More than likely, it would take up all the time they had. He would not have time to disable them both on his own.

"Too bad my memories wouldn't suddenly pop back into my head," Zack remarked.

"I'll walk you through this," Sephiroth said. "Do exactly as I tell you. If you do anything wrong, you might ignite the bomb. That's why it's so critical to be careful."

"True." Zack gave a weak grin. "Could end up sending everybody to kingdom come anyway, huh?"

"It's possible." And now the counter read thirteen minutes and forty-five seconds.

". . . Doesn't it just boil down to dumb luck?"

Sephiroth had to smirk at that. "Sometimes, yes," he agreed. "But mostly it's skill. The only way luck comes in is when you're hoping that there's enough time to accomplish everything necessary."

He took a deep breath. "Now. Listen to me."

And Zack listened. The nervousness was churning his stomach and cultivating cotton in his throat. Perspiration had started to drip down his face, splashing onto the roof. But he did exactly as Sephiroth told him. And as his fingers worked, it was strange how natural it all felt. He had definitely done this before.

An eternity later, the timer ceased. Zack swallowed at last. Did he dare to relax? Had the calamity really been averted, or was it a trick and something else would go wrong? He leaned forward, studying the numbers. Four minutes and twenty-one seconds. They were staying stuck there, until they blinked and disappeared from the counter altogether. And it sounded like Seph's bomb had stopped being noisy too. He looked to his pal.

Seph reached up, wiping his forehead with a sleeve. "It's stopped," he said.

Zack grinned. "So we saved the day?"

A slight smirk came over Seph's features. "You could say that," he said, getting to his feet. He sobered. "You did well, Zack. Let's get the bomb squad up here to take care of the rest. They should be down in the village."

Zack began to move toward the opening in the roof. "I tried to call you on your phone, but I couldn't get through," he said. "That's why I came out here."

"Cell phones don't work here," Sephiroth agreed. "But these do." Taking out what looked like a walkie-talkie, he switched it on and spoke into it, while gesturing for Zack to start climbing down. Zack began to comply. It would take him a while, when he would be going slow.

It was still hard to process what had just happened. He and Seph had managed to stop two bombs. And he had done it while only being able to follow instructions. It was unsettling, to think of what could have happened if he had made one wrong move. Seph had told Zack that he had done well. And sure, that was true, but as far as Zack was concerned, Seph was the real hero. He could not have done anything without Seph's directions.

As he gained the bottom, he grasped the ladder with one hand while grabbing for his cane with the other. Once he had secured the latter, he let go and peered up into the hole. All he caught was a sweeping glimpse of Seph's coat. He was coming down now. Zack scooted out of the way.

"Well?" he demanded.

"A couple of officers are coming to see about it," Sephiroth said. "We should check the village to make sure it's clear. I instructed other SOLDIERs, and the palace ninjas, to look for bombs anywhere and everywhere. That includes in sheds, under bushes, and on all residential roofs."

Zack nodded. That sounded right. "What if there are some, and they'll go off in less than four minutes?!" he exclaimed.

"That's why we have to hurry." Seph was already taking long strides to the steep staircase, taking hold of the old banister as he began to descend. Zack struggled to follow as best as he could, but it was much more difficult to go down in his invalid condition than it had been to go up. Seph could not wait for him, and Zack did not expect him to. The silver hair was soon out of sight, though the heavy footsteps could still be heard tromping down the stairs.

By the time Zack made it to the bottom, Seph was already outside. Zack only had time to wave to the bewildered priest with the screwdriver before hobbling out the door and down the front stairs. It had taken almost ten minutes to deactivate the bombs on the roof. If there were others in the village, set to go off at the same time as those, how would they ever get the things shut down in time? His heart was racing as he pressed forward.

There was Seph now. His streaming hair and dark coat were way up the road. Zack set the foot of the cane into the dirt as he moved to follow.

And the path ahead erupted in a burst of cruel light and flame.

The color drained from Zack's face. Seph . . . he could no longer see Seph. Had . . . had he been caught in that? The sound of the explosion was still echoing in his ears. Along with his pounding heart.

_"SEPH!"_ The cry echoed all around him, yet he knew it was his. He flew into the road, half-running, half-stumbling. Now he was putting much more pressure on his bad leg than he ever should. It did not matter now. And his voice was probably lost in the roar of the fire ahead.

What was he even _doing?_ He could not stand even the thought of something catching fire on the stove. And now he was running toward a huge, blazing inferno. It could swallow him in an instant. One already had, in the past. He could see himself being caught in the flames. He had screamed in agony, trying to dive away, and he had tumbled over the edge of the cliff. The fire had still hung on to him even then. . . .

But all that mattered now was finding Seph. Seph had nearly lost him a few weeks ago, and now, if he had lost Seph . . .

"Seph! Where are you?!" Zack stopped near the fire, covering his nose and mouth as he coughed. He had to be here. He had to be . . . !

His eyes were watering. And standing right by the hungry flames was almost more than he could stand. He wanted to bolt right then and there, to retreat as far from them as possible. Yet he could not. He would not.

"Zack?"

He whirled, his heart leaping into his throat. Seph was coming from around the side of one of the homes. He looked frazzled, with his rumpled clothes and his hair flying into his face. There was a bit of blood running down the left side of his face, from above his eye to his cheekbone. He must have dived away to avoid the blast. But he was alive. He was safe!

And Zack could not help himself. His previous discomfort had fled, destroyed in the hated fire. He leaped forward, throwing his arms around Seph's neck as he glomped.

"Don't ever do that again!" he burst out. "You scared the heck out of me!"

Sephiroth was stunned. For a moment, all thoughts had vanished. But then the full situation came into focus. Zack was hugging him. He remembered his best buddy, even though he did not consciously know it. As he pulled back, looking up at Seph's green eyes, there was only genuine worry and relief mixed in his own lavender orbs.

"Guess there were other bombs after all," he said with a weak, rueful grin.

Sephiroth nodded, turning to look at the blaze with contempt as he laid a hand on Zack's shoulder. Now they were going to need a firefighting patrol, too. He had informed Commander Hunnicutt of that fact on the two-way radio, right before Zack had come running up calling for him.

"There's another one where Commander Hunnicutt is," Sephiroth said. "It exploded right ahead of the truck, and they have to find another way around. The people are terrified."

"I don't blame them!" Zack said angrily. "This is just crazy, what's going on! Imagine, having your lives and your homes turned upsidedown because of these terrorists!" He shuddered. The flames were too close for comfort. Now that he knew Seph was alright, the urge to flee was growing stronger again.

"Sirs!"

Both Sephiroth and Zack froze, looking to the sound of the voice. The Second Class SOLDIER who had driven Zack here was running over, the fire truck right behind him. As he swerved to the side and caught up to his commanders, breathing heavily, the alarm in his eyes could be clearly seen.

"What is it, SOLDIER?" Sephiroth demanded.

The other man shook his head, gulping in air to catch his breath. "We've received a communication from the terrorists, sirs," he said. "They have Princess Yuffie."

Zack stared. "What?!" he cried. "How?! Did they mob the retreat?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. Behind him, the firefighters attacked the blaze.

"No, sirs." The Second Class SOLDIER looked guilty. "She must have followed Commander Fair and myself down to the village."

Zack slapped his forehead. "Can't she ever just stay out of trouble?" he moaned.

"Where do they have her?" Sephiroth asked.

The SOLDIER hesitated. "They said they'll send another communication, but only when the highest-ranked SOLDIERs and the emperor are present," he said at last. "They contacted me on my two-way radio. And they definitely had the princess. I could hear her yelling in the background."

"But how would they know when we're all together? And heck, the frequency of your radio thing?!" Zack frowned. "They'd have to be spying on us all the time!"

Sephiroth nodded. "That's what concerns me," he said, but did not elaborate on his thoughts. Instead he looked back to the younger SOLDIER. "Does the emperor know?"

"I've just informed him, sir," was the answer. "We're to go to the retreat immediately."

Sephiroth looked behind him at the fire. It seemed to be going down, even if only somewhat. But it was not the only one. There was at least one other blaze, possibly two. Other SOLDIERs were rushing to attempt containing them. And he was standing doing nothing.

This new problem needed to be dealt with too, of course. He knew that. And if there was a chance of capturing the leader of this rebellion, then it would be much easier to catch the others later on. The firefighters had their assignment. Sephiroth had his. He needed to plan with other SOLDIERs how they would rescue Yuffie, and stop this madness from continuing any further.

It would be the first time he would encounter the terrorists since he had felled several out of anger and pain. Knowing Zack was alive did not make him stop hating them, though it had certainly eased his feelings. But would he snap again, when he found them? He could not guarantee that he would not. He felt that he was in perfect control of himself, but with their barbaric natures, that could change.

He looked back to the Second Class SOLDIER. "Let's go," he said.

"Sir!" The Second Class SOLDIER nodded, hurrying ahead to where he had parked the Jeep.

Zack was still standing where he had been, gazing up at the mountain. "Hey Seph?" he said at last.

Sephiroth frowned. "What is it?" he asked, following Zack's gaze. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Zack shrugged. "I dunno. . . . Something just seems funny about this."

"I know." Sephiroth lowered his voice. "I don't trust the SOLDIER driving us."

Zack started, looking back to him. "You think he's a traitor?" he gasped.

Sephiroth nodded. "Either him, or another SOLDIER. There could be more than one."

"But why would SOLDIERs work with terrorists?!" Zack could hardly believe what he was hearing. How could their comrades really be that dishonorable? And the SOLDIER who had driven him down had seemed fine to him.

"There are various revolutionary groups in Wutai," Sephiroth said. "They sometimes try to convince the young SOLDIERs that they're fighting for the wrong choice and that they should desert SOLDIER. I've seen it happen." Bitterness had slipped into his voice. Thinking of that made him recall again the betrayals that had been generated from within SOLDIER's ranks. When Genesis had abandoned SOLDIER, he had taken quite a few lower-ranked SOLDIERs with him.

Zack frowned. ". . . Did Angeal ever meet them?" he asked.

"I don't know." And it really did not matter now.

Sephiroth nodded ahead to the Jeep. "There may not be any trouble at all, as far as Yuffie being taken," he said. "We could be being led into a trap." His eyes narrowed. "And on the other hand, maybe the trouble is at the retreat." There were many possibilities. Another was that the terrorists were somewhere else, just as the SOLDIER had said, and that they did have Yuffie. The problem was, it was such a plausible story, it could easily be made up.

"So . . . what do we do?" Zack asked as they began to walk again. "Just stay cool and wait to see what happens?"

"That's right. If he is guilty, then we don't want him to suspect we know. And if he's innocent, then he shouldn't have to know that his integrity is being questioned."

They arrived at the Jeep as the driver started the engine. Sephiroth climbed into the front, sliding into the middle. If the SOLDIER was a traitor, and would try to drive them right off the road, then Sephiroth wanted the best position available to prevent it.

Zack slid in next to him, pulling the door shut. He would not give Seph the chance to protest him riding in the front, too. Maybe it would be the most dangerous in case of an attempted accident, but maybe he would be able to do more to help in the front rather than the back. Besides, since Seph had moved to the middle part of the seat, it would look silly if Zack did not get in the front too.

The driver pulled out of the parking spot, heading for the mountain road.


	9. A Star, Calling My Name

**Notes: Forrester is a deliberate reference to what was a popular fanon surname for Zack. And I watched **_**Air Force One**_** recently, if that isn't obvious from this chapter.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**A Star, Calling My Name**

The ride up the mountain was relatively quiet. The SOLDIER certainly did not attempt to send them flying off the road. Nor did he display any suspicious behavior at all. But Sephiroth and Zack continued to watch him, their muscles tense.

The fires in the village were visible as well. Zack stared in sick horror as the blazes flickered, their hungry arms grasping for anything that was within reach. The firefighters continued what almost seemed a hopeless battle, yelling instructions as they trained their hoses on the furious enemies. One fire seemed to be lessening, but another was again bursting forth with alarming intensity and strength.

Zack winced. "It doesn't seem right," he mumbled.

Sephiroth glanced over at him, his eyes questioning.

"To be leaving them to deal with all that," Zack said, shaking his head. "I feel like we should be down there. Even though I know we're needed elsewhere, too."

Sephiroth gave a slow nod. "Wanting to be in two places at once is agonizing for anyone, but SOLDIERs have to do their duty," he said. And duty could be a cold and hard thing. It was part of what had prevented him from being able to save Zack that treacherous day on the cliffs. It was what enabled many lives to be saved, but sometimes only at the cost of others. Duty and personal attachment did not mix well.

It had been a violation of duty, when he and Zack had allowed Angeal to go free. They had been supposed to kill him. But for all Sephiroth's talk of being obedient, and the fact that he almost always did adhere to what was expected of him, he had not been able to bring himself to turn against one of his only friends.

Hojo had called Sephiroth's loyalty to his friends his biggest weakness. In some ways, Sephiroth agreed---though he certainly had never and would never say so to Hojo's face. But Zack considered it one of Sephiroth's greatest strengths. _"Life doesn't mean much if you're only out for yourself, you know?"_ he had said, laying his hand on Sephiroth's shoulder as he grinned. And Sephiroth had at last relented, a soft smile creeping over his features. It was impossible to be annoyed at Zack for long.

Maybe it did mean that he could not always be impartial. Maybe it meant that duty and personal choice would be divided, and duty would sometimes lose. And since duty was one of the most important things to Sephiroth, that was saying a lot.

But loyalty to his loved ones meant so much more.

In the present, Zack shifted. "It looks quiet up here," he said. The retreat was coming into view now, as they rounded a bend. "But is it really?"

"Who knows." The thought of terrorists invading the emperor's living space a second time, and so soon, sounded ludicrous. Emperor Kisaragi was not a fool. Security had been tripled, and palace ninjas were always on guard both inside and out, waiting and watching for the slightest sign of anything amiss. Plus, there should still be some SOLDIERs on duty there, too.

If there was a traitor, however, then so many pieces would fall into place. And what if there was more than one?

"Seph?"

"Hmm?"

Sephiroth turned to look at his worried friend and comrade. Zack's visible eye was filled with many emotions---dread among the most prominent. What if they found many SOLDIERs were present who had joined the Wutaian rebels? What if they had to battle former allies? What if Zack had to kill people that he had once known and loved, and later on he would remember who they had been?

Sephiroth had no answers for him, whether aloud or silent. All he could do was to lay his hand on Zack's shoulder, giving an almost imperceptible squeeze. Whatever happened, he would be there for Zack. He knew that much.

It was not long afterwards when the driver parked in front of the retreat. "We're here, sirs," he said, leaping out the door.

"Not any too soon, either!" Zack said, undoing his seat belt and throwing open the passenger side door. He stepped out, slower this time. He had really been straining his body today. And now it was starting to catch up to him. Seph would not be happy about that at all. Not that Zack was particularly pleased, either.

Sephiroth got out last, taking up the Masamune from the back seat as he moved to walk with Zack to the porch. The Second Class SOLDIER was already there, shifting his weight in nervousness as he waited for the door to be opened.

"Did you knock?" Sephiroth asked, his voice flat as he came up the steps. At his side, Zack struggled up as well, grasping the railing in one hand and his cane in the other. His more sluggish movements were not lost on Sephiroth. Once they were inside, Sephiroth was going to send him to bed, whether Zack wanted to go or not.

The younger SOLDIER looked embarrassed. "Oh! No, sir," he said. Turning to the door, he knocked several times, in the code that they had devised for positive identification.

After a moment the door opened. And Sephiroth and Zack could only stare. It was Yuffie standing there.

"Hey, what's going on?" she frowned. "You guys act like you saw a ghost or something."

Sephiroth gripped his sword tighter. The confusion in her eyes was obvious. She was fine.

"Aren't you supposed to be in mortal danger or something?!" Zack exclaimed. A sinking feeling was coming into the pit of his stomach. As he turned to look at Seph, he could see that Seph looked the same way Zack felt.

"Me?" Yuffie snorted. "You guys are the ones who went running into all that bomb stuff."

The Second Class SOLDIER had his sword drawn in an instant, pointing it at the child. "D-don't do anything stupid," he said, his voice shaking in spite of his attempt to be tough. "Just walk inside nice and easy."

Sephiroth had the Masamune raised just as quickly, aiming it at the boy's throat. "You don't want to do this, SOLDIER," he said, his own voice dark and carrying a warning.

Zack could see that the guy's hands were trembling too, as he tried to hold the weapon at the shocked Yuffie. "Come on, what's the deal?" the brunet spoke, frowning first at the sword and then up at the tormented face. It was not the look of someone who had his mind made up. If they could just talk to him, maybe they could get him to stop.

"Is someone putting you up to this?" Zack continued.

The eyes widened in fear. "No!" he cried. "I . . . I've realized where I belong. And it isn't here!"

"SOLDIER." Sephiroth met his frightened stare. "What is your name?"

"Forrester, Second Class, sir." He looked back and forth between Sephiroth and Yuffie. "I . . . I have to do this, sir! I never realized before the kinds of horrible things SOLDIER's done. But they showed me!"

"Who's 'they'?" Zack demanded. "These revolutionary groups? They're not much better than the terrorists!"

"They're probably working together," Yuffie muttered.

A shake of the head. "I met them when we first arrived in Wutai," Forrester said, managing to smooth the tremor from his voice. "They told me I didn't know the dark secrets of my army. And they showed me pictures, sirs! Photographs!" Now his gaze darted from Sephiroth to Zack, his voice lowering. "I saw some of what SOLDIER did during the Wutai war. Villages burned to the ground . . . parents without their children . . . orphans crying for their parents. . . ." Tears glistened in his eyes. "I can't stand it. I can't be loyal to an organization that would do anything like that!"

Anger flared in Sephiroth's veins. "And the situation you're getting into is so much more agreeable to you?" he said, his tone frozen. "You think that terrorists won't stop at killing the innocent? You think that they will be kinder about it, somehow?" Zack's panicked and horrified face at the cliffs flashed through his mind again. The rebels' vile laughter echoed through his soul.

"There will always be casualties in war, SOLDIER. But our military's official instructions were never to decimate villages or murder children. I was in charge of what happened during the Wutai war. And I can't speak for what some of the men may have done without my permission. But I never gave the order to kill innocents."

His eyes narrowed further. "Innocents died as the result of grievous accidents and misfires. But the fatalities the terrorists cause are not by accident. They destroy everything they don't like, regardless of whether it's necessary or not. They murder the guiltless on purpose."

"They say just the same thing about SOLDIER!" Forrester cried. "Sirs, please! Join us! We'll get rid of this organization together!" He looked to Sephiroth in desperation. "If we only had your strength. . . ."

"You've gotta be kidding!" Zack burst out.

Sephiroth's lip curled. "I will be dead before I serve your kind, Forrester." He kept the blade steady at the other's throat. "If you insist on doing this, you know I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Isn't there something wrong here?" Zack exclaimed. "You talk about being upset that kids were killed, but you're holding your sword at the emperor's daughter!" He gestured with his free hand. "She's only eight!"

A sick look passed over Forrester. That had struck a nerve. His hands shook again.

"I . . . I can't do this," he murmured in anguish. The blade lowered. "This was supposed to be my first mission, to prove my loyalty, but I . . . I never wanted to go through with it. Not when they told me what I'd have to do. . . ."

"You shouldn't have done it then!" Yuffie said in disgust, leaping back now that the immediate threat to her life was gone. She reached for her shuriken.

Sephiroth was not letting down his guard. "Who are you working with?" he demanded. "I can't believe that you came here to enact this plan all by yourself."

Forrester shook his head. "I didn't," he choked out, "but . . ."

His eyes widened as he gasped in pain. Sephiroth only had barely enough time to move the Masamune away as the Second Class SOLDIER crumpled to the porch. A bullet from a silent sniper rifle was embedded in his spine.

Zack let out an alarmed exclamation. Yuffie looked away, sickened at the sight, though she would not admit it.

Even though it seemed unnecessary, Sephiroth bent down and touched his fingers to the boy's neck. "Dead. They were watching him," he muttered. It was nothing he had not expected. "They have to be in the nearby trees." He looked to Zack. "Go inside and inform the emperor. I'm going after them."

Zack stared. "You can't just go running off like that!" he cried. "Not without me!"

Sephiroth fixed him with a definite Don't Argue look. "There could be other trouble inside," he said. It was a hard decision to make---to leave Zack behind when there was danger both ways. But he had at last decided that it would be worse for Zack to be running over the grounds in his condition. The retreat was safer.

Unless there were bombs set up there, too.

He set his jaw, turning away as he headed down the steps. Time was critical. He could not second-guess himself now. And there were many lives at stake, not only Zack's.

Even though Zack's life was what he cared about more than anything else.

Zack swallowed hard. "Seph. . . ." He knew his buddy's mind was made up. And Seph was right. Zack had a job to do, too.

He looked back to Yuffie. "Where's your dad?" he asked, limping to the doorway and stepping over the threshold.

"Around somewhere," Yuffie shrugged. "Come on." She ran off down the hall. Zack locked the door behind him before following.

"What's all the noise down the hall?" he exclaimed.

Yuffie frowned. There had not been any noise a few minutes ago. But she did not stop to think it over. Instead she only increased her pace, her shuriken gripped in her hand. She might need to use it.

"Hey, wait up!" Zack yelled. "You know I can't run as fast as you right now!"

"Well, hurry up!" Yuffie retorted, dashing around a corner.

Zack muttered, picking up the pace as much as he dared. "You're not gonna be happy about this, Seph ol' pal," he said to himself as the cane hit the floor with even more rapid-fire movements. "Not that I'm jumping for joy, either. Well . . . even if I could, I mean."

As he rounded the corner, his eyes widened in alarm and surprise. Palace ninjas were everywhere---on the floor, the stairs, the balcony at the top---and they were all engaged in battle. Some were fighting other ninjas, each seeming to be attempting to outdo the others in their skilled moves and attacks. Some were fighting SOLDIERs, much to Zack's dismay. Though were the SOLDIERs the enemy, or the ninjas? It was hard to tell. One or two others seemed to be neither SOLDIERs or ninjas, and it was SOLDIERs combating them.

"So who're the bad guys here?" Yuffie frowned. She was poised to throw her deadly weapon, as soon as she knew for whom to aim.

"I'm still waiting to find out myself!" Zack said.

He ducked as a ninja star flew past, clipping him on the shoulder. It embedded into the wall. As he straightened up, a ninja somersaulted in front of him, the eyes the only visible part of the face. They were cold and hard.

"Okay, this one's an enemy!" he declared.

The black-clad warrior moved to kick him. Again Zack dodged, flipping his cane to hold it by the rod and not the crook. While the ninja's leg was still airborne, Zack hooked the cane around the grounded limb and pulled. The ninja crashed to the floor. Either Zack had accomplished the rare feat of catching a ninja off-guard, or else this one was only a ninja in costume. Instantly he lashed out, striking the downed nemesis on the head with his walking tool.

"Out for the count!" he declared.

Two more ninjas dropped into his path.

Zack gave a weak grin. "Hoo boy. Too bad there's not backup." He positioned himself with his cane. "But I'll take you both on!"

"You've got me!" Yuffie retorted. Without waiting for a reply she threw her shuriken. One of the men stumbled back with a cry as his shoulder was cut. Zack then took the opportunity to punch him.

"Hey, we don't make such a bad team at that!" he smirked.

Yuffie smirked too, as her shuriken came back to her. "We'll take 'em!" she said.

* * *

Sephiroth kept the Masamune ready as he headed towards the trees. Judging from where Forrester had been standing, and where the bullet had hit, the culprit must be in one of the bare trees just ahead. If it was daytime, he would be able to see the sniper without any trouble. In the nighttime he had to focus, looking for anything that seemed out of place---a slight movement, a shape that did not belong, or the glint from the gun. His eyesight was better at night than the average human's, a fact that had once prompted Zack to ask if Seph had catlike abilities to go with the catlike eyes. Sephiroth had answered in sarcasm that unlike a cat's, his eyesight was exceptional during both night and day.

A slight whistle in the air sent him raising the sword in front of his face. A bullet bounced off of the surface, landing harmlessly in the grass. Green eyes narrowed, looking to the path along which the lead had come. Now he could see a dark-clad form moving in the tree just to his right.

"Come down," Sephiroth ordered, his tone cold as he pointed his sword in that direction.

"Shinra dog," was the hissed response. Again the rifle was aimed.

Sephiroth lunged and leaped, sending the weapon flying out of the shocked sniper's hands. With his right hand he took hold of the black clothing, hauling the other man out of the tree. He was much smaller than Sephiroth, and as he yelped and struggled, Sephiroth soon had him pinned to the ground. The Masamune was held lengthwise across the heaving throat.

"How many of you are here?" Sephiroth demanded.

The form trembled, but abhorrence flashed through the dark eyes. "More than you can handle," he spat.

Sephiroth brought the blade closer. Now it was pressing against the flesh, just enough to cause discomfort without drawing blood. "How many?" he repeated.

The eyes flickered. "The emperor's retreat is being overrun by several dozen."

And he had left Zack in that mess! Sephiroth gripped tighter at a handful of the jumpsuit. "Are you the only sniper outside?"

"Maybe." Even through the cloth covering his mouth, it was obvious that the rebel was sneering in derision. "I know we shouldn't have tried to recruit a SOLDIER. They're too weak when it comes to these missions."

Sephiroth ignored that. "Are there any other SOLDIERs on your side?"

A shrug. "There's supposed to be, but they'll probably all get weak knees before the end!" His entire attitude reeked of defiance. Yet Sephiroth could sense what he was trying to hide the most. He was afraid. He did not want to die.

Sephiroth caught the glint of silver a split-second before the knife was drawn. He moved his sword, clanging it against the small blade. Though the sniper tried to hold onto it, his strength was not a match for the General's. As the knife fell into the grass, Sephiroth began to pull the other to his feet.

"If you try anything like that again, you will die," he said, keeping the sword at the ready. "Walk."

Now the cloth had slipped away from the lower part of the sniper's face. He was not much older than Zack. Possibly he was younger. Sephiroth had expected it, really. But it still disgusted him. They would try to say that it was not any different from young boys being in SOLDIER. His response was what he had told Forrester---both groups did kill, but their methods and reasoning were different. Yet both also honestly believed that they were right. And therein lay the tragedy and the confusion.

"You're not going to kill me?" the boy cried, stumbling forward. He kept his gaze fixed on Sephiroth. Who knew what the famed SOLDIER General would do? This must be a trick.

Sephiroth gave him a hard look. "I've disarmed you. I've learned all that you're willing to tell. And I doubt you're very valuable to those inside. They can always replace you." His expression never changed, even as he stabbed the Masamune into the ground. "But no. I'm not going to kill you." He grabbed the sniper's hands, wrenching them behind his back. He gripped the wrists with one hand while pulling out a piece of rope from his pocket.

The Wutaian stiffened. "No!" he burst out. "I won't be taken prisoner by SOLDIER. I would rather die!" He strained against the General's firm grasp. If he could just get away, and run . . . !

Sephiroth held on, tying the bonds as tight as possible. The wrists would be sore, but that was a small price to pay. "I won't be responsible for letting you take the easy way out," he said. If it was one of the hardened terrorists, the kind who had almost killed Zack, he would feel different. They deserved death. But this was just a boy. Sephiroth did not want an unarmed youth's blood on his hands. Not if there was another way.

"No!" The rebel kicked backward, striking Sephiroth hard in the shin. He grunted in pain, his grip loosening. The sniper did not waste any time in beginning to run over the uneven ground. And Sephiroth did not waste any time running after him and tackling him to the grass. He gritted his teeth, forcing the flailing legs together as he bound them as well. The young form was left gasping and screaming, struggling in vain to break free.

Sephiroth straightened up. He would have someone come back for the boy later. Right now he had to return to the retreat. Pulling his sword out of the ground, he began to run back the way he had come.

* * *

Emperor Kisaragi was kneeling on a futon in a locked room of the retreat. He had been attempting meditation, but it was hopeless now. He was definitely aware of what was happening outside his private quarters, and it was angering. His eyes narrowed at the mixture of crashes, bangs, and screams of pain. Was Yuffie safe? No doubt she was right in the middle of it all, insisting on trying to be an adult. He stood, walking to the door.

It flew open as soon as he had undone the lock. Several of the rebels were standing in the doorway, wicked smirks on their faces. All held semi-automatic guns, which they pointed at the emperor.

"It's over, my lord," the one in the middle smiled. "As you can hear, you are under attack." The gun clicked.

"I am very aware of this." Godo regarded them in coolness. "But it won't last for long. This madness will stop."

"Yes, it will." The one on the left stepped forward. "We have some of your staff hostage. Not even your precious SOLDIERs can save them. The moment they try to attack, the hostages will be killed one by one."

The emperor's eyes narrowed. "How do I know this is the truth?" he demanded. There were still the sounds of fighting from other parts of the building. Why would it not have all ceased?

"This is how," said the one on the right, holding up a two-way radio. When he pressed the button, the familiar and tearful voice of a terrified maid crackled into the room.

"Why are you doing this?!" she cried.

A gravelly and merciless voice answered. "This is how far we're willing to go to cleanse Wutai. Speak into the radio and tell them what I'm doing to you."

"You're standing in front of me with a gun at my head!"

Nearby, Aoyama's voice sputtered into intelligible words. "This is outrageous!" he fumed. "How dare you barbarians come in here and . . ." He gasped in horror at something unheard.

"Be quiet," hissed another unwelcome voice, "or you will die first."

Godo's expression darkened further. "What must be done to stop this?" he asked. Not that he did not already know what they would say. Their demands were always the same.

The man in the middle continued to smile. "Renounce the SOLDIERs' presence and have them removed from Wutai, forcefully if necessary. Drive them from our shores to purify this great land once again!"

Godo glowered. This was an outrageous situation. How had all of these madmen gotten inside? And how could he make a decision he knew was wrong for Wutai? To attempt evicting the SOLDIERs would start the war anew. And there was no way that the Wutaian people would be able to rebuild the country if the SOLDIERs were removed, even peaceably. On the other hand, how could he knowingly sacrifice people he respected and who had assisted him for years? How could he betray them?

"Having trouble deciding?" The wicked smirk widened. "Maybe we can help." He spoke with sharpness into his radio. Then he held it out again.

"Let me go!" Yuffie's voice screamed.

"What kinda sick creeps are you, to use a kid like this?!" Zack burst out, his voice filled with disbelief and fury.

The terrorist laughed. "How many children have you killed, crippled SOLDIER? By what right do you judge us?"

"I never killed any kids on purpose!" Zack retorted.

"Oh? How would you know this, when your mind is a blank?"

A shocked silence.

"Yes, we know, SOLDIER---you remember nothing." The cruel smirk was obvious, even though it could not be seen. "Tell me, how can you even trust that precious General of yours? Maybe he is lying to you."

The silence continued. "You wouldn't understand," Zack said at last. "I'd never talk about something like that with you." He raised his voice. "It has to do with a bunch of stuff that people like you probably don't know a thing about."

"Such as loyalty? We have plenty of that. Why would we do any of this, if not for loyalty to our country?"

"I don't know." From Zack's tone, he was fighting to keep from letting loose with the full gamut of his feelings. "I just know that you've got the wrong kind of loyalty, if it makes you do stuff like this."

"And you can't do a thing to stop us. You, and all of your allies, have been brought to a standstill, while I hold the princess's life in my hands!"

"Get a life yourself," Yuffie muttered.

Godo's heart sank. So Commander Fair was powerless and his daughter was at gunpoint.

"Well?" All three men were sneering now. "What do you choose, my lord?" said the one in the middle. "Do you need to hear someone die? A maid, or an adviser? Or should we show you how helpless SOLDIER is and shoot your little girl through the head?"

An arrow slammed into Godo's heart. Never before had he felt such acute fear. Again his thoughts from the previous attack flashed through his mind. He led an entire nation. Now the choice was once more laid before him that he could save it---the millions of people within its borders---or he could save a mere handful of people. But that handful would include his daughter, and most everyone else whom he personally trusted.

What was he thinking? These monsters had no honor. Even if he agreed to do what they wanted, there was no guarantee that they would preserve any lives. If they did, they might plan to use the emperor and Yuffie as their puppets. That would be a worse fate than death.

"No," he said. "I will not honor your demands."

The faces twisted in grotesque ways. "Then we will start killing," said the one on the right.

As he held out the radio, a gunshot resounded through the speaker and over the corridor. Godo's eyes widened. Was that . . . ? No, it would not have been. They would not start with Yuffie. They would save her for later.

"Your maid is dead," said the voice on the radio. "Another will perish in one minute."

"Oh no they won't!" Zack retorted, anger fueling his tone all the more.

Godo clenched his teeth behind his lips. There was nothing he could do to stop this. He could only pray to the gods that the SOLDIERs could.

All of the guns were still trained on him. "If you won't cooperate," said the middle one, "then you will die, too."

Emperor Kisaragi steeled himself. He had suspected this twist. He did not want to die, or for Wutai to fall into the hands of these heartless wretches. But no matter what happened to himself and to Yuffie, Wutai had to be saved. Would their deaths change anything for the better, or for worse?

The window behind the men shattered. They whirled, their attention captured. Sephiroth was standing there, sword in hand. It was already bloodied, from the men he had just been forced to cut down outside. His eyes were cold and hard.

"You'll have to get past me first," he declared.

A cry broke out in Wutaian. The gunfire rained, peppering the walls, the floor, and bouncing off of Sephiroth's sword. Again he was forced to perform the dance of death, bobbing and weaving to avoid being hit. Bullets were flying in all directions. Chunks of wood and plaster began to soar right along with them.

He still hated the terrorists. It surged through his veins, pulsating until he could hardly bear it. He wanted to kill them as he had done their comrades, without regard or mercy. But he kept those feelings back. His mind was clear. These men had to die. He had to kill them to save the guiltless. They would die in the line of duty---not from his hatred.

His blade slashed as the moment blurred.

Gunfire continued to be aimed at him. He deflected the lead on all sides. The radio skidded across the floor, where it came to a halt against the wall. And one by one, the terrorists fell. Crimson began to pool across the floor. Sephiroth stopped, lowering the Masamune as he surveyed the damage. They were all dead. But it was not like when he had torn others down in his rage. He did not feel the same emptiness as he had then.

"General."

He looked up. The emperor had been observing. Now he gave the slightest nod. He knew that Sephiroth had restrained his abhorrence, and that it had taken a great deal of willpower. He had done only what had to be done.

"Your arm is bleeding."

Sephiroth gave his right arm a cursory glance. It must have happened at some point in the last moment, though he did not remember it. "It's not worth worrying about," he grunted. "I'll see to it."

The radio crackled. It had not been broken during the attack. And it seemed that things had been going just as planned on the other end of the line. "Are you ready, Lord Godo?" the cruel and rocky voice sneered. "Now your daughter shall die."

"I won't either!" Yuffie yelled.

Zack gave a loud war cry as he leaped into the fray. Pandemonium ensued. People screamed, bodies crashed, and glass shattered.

Until one bullet ended it all.

A loud silence fell.

Godo paled. "Yuffie . . ."

Sephiroth's flesh drained of color as well. "Zack . . ." Oh God, no. Zack was not in a condition to be fighting. Had Sephiroth sent him to his death? Now there was no sound at all, nothing to indicate what might be happening. The other communications device must have been broken in the battle. Maybe the bullet had struck it. But what else might have gone wrong?

He took off running. Godo was right behind him.

* * *

It did not take long to find the correct room, but it was still more time than Sephiroth had wanted to spend. As he burst into the large foyer, his sharp and worried eyes took in the scene in an instant. Palace ninjas and SOLDIERs were dragging away wounded terrorists and traitors. Others on both sides lay dead. In the center of the room, another man lay sprawled supine. Yuffie, standing nearby, delivered a derogatory kick to his side before turning and seeing the newcomers.

"Dad!" she cried, running over to him.

He walked to meet her. "Yuffie! What mischief have you been into now?"

Sephiroth only heard their reunion in a far-off corner of his mind. He was focused on another person, who was poking the floored man with a wooden cane.

"Knocked him right out," Zack grinned, looking up at Seph. "And I think he's one of the higher-ups, too. He'll probably be pretty useful, huh?"

Sephiroth could really only stop and stare for a moment. All of this madness and carnage around them, and Zack had survived. Not only that, but he had apparently overpowered the man planning to kill Yuffie. And here he was, as nonchalant and cheerful as ever.

Sephiroth gave him a stern look. "How did you manage this?" he asked.

Zack shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "It just kinda . . . happened. I went charging at him, and then everyone else jumped into the act, and he got distracted when Yuffie stabbed him with a ninja star thing. So I took the opportunity to give him a well-deserved whack on the head!"

"Really." The gruff expression did not fade.

"Yep!" Zack grinned again.

There was something different about him. Sephiroth's eyes widened in realization.

"I remember ya, Seph old pal!" Zack exclaimed. "And Mom, and Dad, and Cloud, and everyone!" He limped forward, glomping Seph with extra gusto as he laughed from sheer joy. "I remember!"

This time Sephiroth enveloped Zack in an embrace as well. His stern visage had melted into a soft smile. His heart was full.

"You remember . . ." he repeated. "You do remember. . . ."


	10. When You Wish Upon a Star

**Notes: Wow. It's hard to believe that, after several spurts of inspiration and several spurts of writer's block, this is finished. It's definitely been another labor of love, one of the most heartwrenching adventures to take these guys through. Many thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, and/or helping with the advancement of the plot! More is definitely to come. I'm thinking this Wutai thing will be a trilogy, in which case there's still another part. Hope everyone will stick around for it!  
**

* * *

**Epilogue**

**When You Wish Upon a Star**

_It is now three days following the latest terrorist attack on Wutai._

_The man Commander Fair apprehended is, indeed, one of the most highly-ranked and sought-after terrorists. He refuses to speak, but even so, to have him in custody is a very encouraging development. SOLDIER continues to search for his allies, who have retreated from all knowledge again. The Underground has been left in confusion as well. Those who infiltrated suddenly do not know what has become of the other members of the operation. Some fear for their lives, and I do not believe this is unfounded. They will be watched very closely by SOLDIER._

_Emperor Kisaragi's retreat has survived the past attack, and it is cleaned and ready for the royal family to remain as long as it is necessary. The work to reconstruct the palace has only just begun. It will take weeks, though their goal is still to finish it before the worst part of winter sets in. At this late hour, it does not seem plausible that it could be accomplished so quickly. From my window, I can see that the first snow storm of the season has already begun._

_Commander Fair and I are preparing to return to Midgar. His request to return to Gongaga while he completes his recovery has been denied, without any explanation. I intend to learn why. Meanwhile, I will look after Commander Fair myself, and see that he receives the care he needs._

_I have been asked to explain how Commander Fair survived not only the explosion, but also the fall into the ocean. I cannot. It is beyond my abilities. His resolve and endurance are well-known, and it is only logical to give him some of the credit. However, in his condition it would not be realistic to assume that his strength alone saved him. But what matters most is that he has, indeed, survived---no matter what, or Who, may have assisted._

_Sephiroth_

_SOLDIER First Class_

_General of the Armies_

Sephiroth leaned back, removing his glasses. His reports had been increasingly philosophical lately. He had to give a grim smirk. What did Lazard think of that? Not that his reports were anywhere near as deep as Genesis's often were. Sephiroth tried to keep his rooted in logic, based on what he had seen. Genesis had been known to go off into his own little worlds, almost. He had even quoted _Loveless_, when he had thought it suited the occasion.

"Hey Seph!"

He looked up as Zack limped into the room and eased himself into a chair.

"Get the report done?" he chirped.

Sephiroth nodded, setting his glasses aside as he half-turned to face Zack. Cheerful as ever, but he was masking his confusion and disappointment over not being allowed to go home. He had stayed optimistic when giving the news to his parents, even saying, _"Well, hey, at least when we do meet again, I'll remember you both!"_ But his eyes had been sad.

Sephiroth hated that. He would give Zack anything in his power that he could, but getting him home seemed an impossibility. It was hard for him to even fathom _home_ meaning something wonderful and joyous, but to Zack it did. Sometimes Sephiroth longed to share in that feeling, even to just be able to comprehend it. But right now all he wanted was to give Zack the chance to get back to it. And he could not.

"So . . . it's back to the concrete jungles of Midgar, then," Zack mused.

". . . I'm sorry."

Zack blinked. "It's not your fault, Seph," he said. He shrugged. "I mean . . . must be some crazy corporate thing, huh? Maybe they're worried I won't come back, like when . . ." He frowned, trailing off. He tried not to bring up Genesis when he could help it. He knew Seph did not want any more reminders than he already had from his own memories.

"No one could be more loyal to SOLDIER than you," said Sephiroth. "They wouldn't be concerned that you'd desert."

"Yeah, I guess. . . ." Zack frowned. "Don't they kinda wonder that, though, if somebody gets really hurt on a mission for SOLDIER? Like, that maybe they'd be too scared to go back to work?"

"'Kinda wondering' wouldn't be the same as them outright refusing to let you go home." Sephiroth frowned too. "You would be able to recover much better there than at Midgar. What a polluted waste."

"Doesn't sound too pleasant," Zack grinned lop-sidedly. "But oh well.

"Hey, the Motos thought I might be able to take the bandages off my eye today!" he remembered, perking up.

"Oh really." Sephiroth studied his friend. "Do you think you're ready?"

Zack nodded. "This thing's driving me crazy!" he exclaimed. Immediately he reached up, undoing the fasteners holding the gauze around his forehead. As Sephiroth watched, Zack wound it off, tossing it aside into the trash can. He blinked rapidly. His eye was still adjusting to the light. It felt like it was starting to water a bit. But it was definitely not like it had been before.

"Well?" Sephiroth asked, as Zack reached up to inspect the damage.

"It's great!" Zack grinned. "Wow, you don't know how awesome it is to see out of both eyes until you can't!"

Sephiroth settled back. He was still marveling over the fact that Zack was alive. And now he was back in every way. It had been wonderful to talk to him even without his memories, but now that he did remember, they had fully slipped into their friendship again.

". . . Seph?"

Sephiroth blinked at the sudden change in Zack's tone. Now the brunet was serious, looking at him worriedly.

"What is it?"

Zack shifted. "When . . . when you thought I was dead, you really couldn't take it, could you?" he said, his voice lowering.

Sephiroth hesitated. "No," he said then.

Zack gave a slow nod. "Thinking about it now, it makes so much more sense," he said, choosing his words with care. "When I first heard you at the Motos' place, and you were flipping out, I wasn't sure what to think. I was kinda ticked off." He grinned weakly. "I mean, they'd taken care of me, saved me from dying, and I couldn't figure out why this weirdo was showing up and screaming at them for not telling anyone."

Sephiroth smirked a bit.

"So . . . then I hobbled out and saw you there, shoving Mr. Moto against the wall, and I got even madder." He paused. "But then you turned and looked at me, and . . . I dunno, I realized you're important to me. And I did understand better why you lost control, when you talked about how everyone'd thought I was dead for weeks, and . . . you'd seen it happen. . . ." He shook his head. "But . . . I didn't understand altogether until I remembered."

Now his lavender eyes were filled with turmoil. "You know I would've contacted you if I could have, right, Seph?"

"Of course." Sephiroth frowned. "You couldn't help that you didn't remember."

"I know . . . but I still feel awful for putting you and everyone else through it." Zack leaned against the back of the chair on an elbow.

"And Seph?"

"What."

Zack rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "If I'd really been dead, what would you have done?"

Sephiroth's dream flashed through his mind again. The same question had been presenting itself to him for the past several days. And always, there was only one answer he could give.

"I would have continued to do what I've always done," he said. "I would have to go on."

"All alone, too," Zack surmised.

Sephiroth grunted. "Who else would I have?"

Zack shrugged. "Cloud, maybe?" he suggested. "He would've been all alone, too."

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow. "An MP, barely into his teens?"

"Hey, he's just nine years younger than you, Seph! And I'm not much older than he is! Are you saying I'm too young to hang out with you?" Zack blinked in innocence.

"No." Sephiroth shook his head. "I just can't feature myself growing close to him." Even though he had felt some kind of a bond when they had spoken. But that was surely just because of their mutual friend and their shared grief. And because Sephiroth had an almost paternal instinct towards the men.

"You never thought you'd get close to me, either!"

Abruptly Zack sobered. "But seriously, Seph . . . I'd wanna see you be happy again," he said, his smile turning sad. "Not just cooping yourself up in your office and refusing to talk to anybody unless you had to."

Sephiroth gave him a deadpan stare. ". . . You know me too well." He looked away. He did not want to talk about this any more in reality than he had in his dream.

And Zack could tell. He sighed to himself. But then he grinned. "Hey, I'll always be around, Seph," he said.

An ironic smirk crept over Sephiroth's lips. It was strange, that the impression he had had of Zack in his subconscious mind was eerily correct.

"I know," he said.

Encouraged, Zack yawned and stretched his arms in front of him. "Well, guess we'd better get going soon, huh?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I just need to look over this report again and then send it."

A knock on the door brought them both to attention. "What is it?" Sephiroth called.

It slid open. Emperor Kisaragi was standing there, his expression filled with concern.

Zack blinked. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The emperor looked from one to the other. "I'm afraid your departure will be delayed somewhat," he said. "This storm is growing worse. Airships are not even flying in this weather."

Sephiroth frowned. He was quite familiar with Wutaian blizzards. Sometimes they lasted for several days on end. And then it took some time for everyone to dig themselves out afterwards. But it seemed that there was little choice. Even if an airship would agree to fly them out, it would be extremely dangerous.

"Fine," he grunted. "Thank you for letting us know."

The emperor nodded, closing the door again to leave them in peace.

"So we're snowed in?" Zack said.

"Effectively," Sephiroth said.

"Hey, it won't be so bad," Zack chirped. "Just as long as we don't have to go get lost in the snow again. We can stay warm and dry in here, and roast marshmallows, and tell stories, and . . ."

Sephiroth was giving him a Look. "Roast marshmallows," he repeated.

Zack nodded.

"You expect me to take a stick, place a gooey piece of confectionary on its tip, and hold it in a fireplace?"

Zack smirked. "Yep!"

Sephiroth's deadpan expression did not change. He crossed his arms. "And what kinds of stories are supposed to be told?"

"Oh . . . the scarier, the better!" Zack gestured wildly. "Ghost stories, monster stories . . . you name it!"

"Monster stories." Sephiroth looked into the bright lavender eyes. "Such as werewolves and vampires?"

"And ghouls, zombies . . . ! It'll be great!"

Sephiroth's eyes remained unblinking. "You believe I would waste my time making up such drivel?"

Zack just continued to smirk. "There won't be much else to do."

"I'd rather be bored."

"Aww, come on, Seph!" Zack gave him the most pathetic puppy eyes he could manage. "At least listen to me tell the stories!"

"If you're telling them, that alone is enough to frighten me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You figure it out."

"You're so cruel!" Zack swatted Seph on the shoulder.

Sephiroth was nonplussed. "Oh really."

"Yeah!" Zack smirked. "How'd we ever end up buddies?"

"I have no idea."

Sephiroth leaned back, smirking in amusement. He felt more relaxed and at peace now than he had in weeks. And from the way he and Zack were bantering, Zack felt the same. All was well.


End file.
